DOH Disapproves of Department of Defense’s Red Hill Defueling Plan

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) disapproved the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DOD) Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility defueling plan, citing a lack of detail.  The determination is consistent with the DOD’s own assessment that “it will not receive DOH approval of this defueling plan until it is able to provide this supplemental information.”
“The DOD’s submission lacks the requisite details and specificity necessary for the DOH to fully evaluate how the Navy will execute safe and expeditious defueling,” wrote Deputy Director for Environmental Health Kathleen Ho in a letter accompanying DOH’s comments.
DOH’s May 2022 emergency order set a June 30, 2022 deadline for the Navy to submit a plan for defueling Red Hill. The DOD stated that they will have an updated plan by August 31, 2022.  DOH set a September 7, 2022 deadline for the Navy to resubmit its detailed plan.