Red Hill once again

As the fuel spill situation at Red Hill bulk storage facility on Oahu, Hawaii continues to evolve, our Chamorro Pacific Islander civilization now has the opportunity to better understand how the Pentagon and other Pacific Island populations interact in times of stress. 

The U.S. Department of Justice sued the state of Hawaii because it contends that Hawaii does not have the authority to order the Pentagon to shut down the Red Hill facility. DOJ claims that the leakage of several thousand gallons of fuel is not enough to order a complete facility shutdown. DOJ believes that state leaders are asking for concessions that are not reasonable because they exceed the power that state leaders hold. This is very instructive for our Chamorro Pacific Islander civilization. 

Hawaii state leaders contend that the Red Hill facility continues to be a key risk factor producing unacceptable environmental damage because jet fuel continues to leak and make its way into one of Oahu’s major underground aquifers. 

Tens of thousands of residents, both locals and military families, have become sick or forced to move out of their homes because of tainted drinking water. Hawaii state leaders argue that the Navy and the military simply are ignoring to do what is right. 

Hawaii’s leadership is taking the lead
One U.S. senator from Hawaii, Brian Schatz, is now taking the lead on this issue as a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee. He has introduced a bill that would provide $100 million to help build a new bulk fuel facility for the military. In the U.S. House of Representatives, Ed Case has introduced language in the continuing resolution that would provide an additional $250 million to clean up the environmental damage caused by leaking jet fuel to Oahu’s aquifer. 

The success on these fronts is contingent on the complete congressional spending package making it through both chambers of Congress, which is then delivered to the White House for review and signature by President Biden.

Complicated fight for what seems to be a straightforward issue
Clean water is a human right. Local Hawaii residents and military families affected by dirty water run the risk of getting very sick. Hawaii officials want the military to install water treatment resources, repair leaking pipes, and drain all bulk fuel from Red Hill. 

Attempts by Hawaii officials to obtain complete video reels of Red Hill facility fuel leaks remain unsuccessful, in part because cameras located inside the Red Hill facility are not working and not yet repaired.

All these developments point to increased acrimony, confusion and a general amplification of state and Pentagon disagreements. 

The Navy has responded as mentioned above by taking its appeal to federal court. Hawaii state officials view their concerns as a state matter that must be adjudicated at the state court level, not at federal court.

Macarena, Navy style
It appears that much of the politics is coming not from state officials but from the Navy itself. First, the Navy balked and said it wouldn’t shut down Red Hill. Next, the Navy said it would comply with state orders to clean up and shut down Red Hill. Now the Navy is throwing its legal weight around like an overweight dancer doing the Macarena, filing legal documents not only in Hawaii state court but in U.S. federal court as well.

What Guam and CNMI lawmakers can learn from Red Hill
One lesson that can be extrapolated from this Red Hill bulk fuel Navy debacle is that Pacific Islanders, villagers, and Pacific Islander legislative institutions do count. The ire of Hawaii lawmakers toward the Navy is at an all-time high because state lawmakers view the Navy’s political dancing as disrespectful to Pacific Islanders for no good enough reason. 

Another lesson that can be learned is the Navy is fallible; it is not perfect and it sure is not holding itself fully accountable for the huge environmental mess that it continually makes in the Hawaiian Islands. 

Guam lawmakers would be well-served now if they took action to press the military for more complete answers on additional environmental contamination risks of Guam’s sole aquifer from future and current military operations, ranging from burn pit activities above ground to firing range activities that will bring about more human health challenges. 

Sitting back and remaining silent is not in the long-term interests of both villagers and the military because environmental stressors will continue to result in new kinds of elements being introduced into our island chain that are risks to the long-term health and well-being of our families and friends.