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As the health department held hearings on whether the Navy could operate its Red Hill fuel facility safely, fuel from a Red Hill pipeline was leaking into Pearl Harbor.

The bill passed ahead of a highly anticipated decision by the Hawaii health director on the World War II-era tanks, which have leaked into the area’s groundwater.

This comes as the Navy has been working to get approval from the Environmental Protection Agency and Hawaii Department of Health to upgrade the facility’s World War II-era tanks.

The 2021 iteration of the National Defense Appropriations Act requires the Navy to conduct regular reviews of technology to contain potential leaks.

State and federal officials said the military didn’t clearly identify how it would “minimize risk and impact to the drinking water resource.”

In California and Washington, the Navy said its World War II-era tanks should be retired. But in Hawaii, the Navy says its tanks from the same era are working great. 

Department of Health permits are automatically approved if officials don’t take action on them within 180 days.

The public has until Dec. 9 to submit testimony.

Critics worried about leaks into Honolulu’s drinking water are calling for the Navy to relocate the tanks as fast as possible.

The Navy is working on a 20-year-plan to reduce the risk of leaks and fuel contamination from giant fuel tanks on Oahu.