(AP) — U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin says he is monitoring the Navy’s handling of jet fuel contamination in its Pearl Harbor drinking water system. Austin says he is “personally monitoring” the situation at a fuel storage facility in Hawaiʻi. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks will visit site this week. She will meet with Navy officials, state leaders and families affected by fuel-tainted water. About 3,000 people have been moved from military housing to hotels. Hawaiʻi Gov. David Ige ordered the Navy last week to empty its Red Hill fuel storage tanks. The Navy is challenging the order.
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