TAKAI STATEMENT ON EPA AND STATE OF HAWAII’S SETTLEMENT WITH U.S. NAVY TO UPGRADE RED HILL UNDERGROUND FUEL STORAGE FACILITY

WASHINGTON – June 2, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Today, Congressman Mark Takai (HI-01) released the following statement after the announcement of an Administrative Order on Consent that would commit the military to providing an infrastructure plan to make improvements to the Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility:

“I am pleased to see that an agreement has been reached on how to proceed with much-needed infrastructure upgrades for the Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility. Providing long-term integrity and environmental security for the Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility is critical to protecting the freshwater supply of the surrounding communities. This has been a pressing concern that I recently sought to address with an amendment in the National Defense Authorization Act. The amendment requires the Department of Defense to present a plan to move forward with efforts to recapitalize the Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility. I will continue to monitor the situation to ensure that a viable plan to make improvements is put into motion as quickly as possible,” Takai said.

The proposed Administrative Order on Consent will be available for comment for a period of 30 days, and a public meeting to discuss it will be held on Thursday, June 18, 2015 from 6:30-8:30 pm at the Moanalua Middle School cafeteria, 1289 Mahiole Street, Honolulu. For more information and to submit comments, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/region9/redhill/and http://health.hawaii.gov/RedHill. After reviewing public comments, EPA and DOH may sign the AOC to make it effective, or may seek to modify it based on information received during the comment period.