HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	128
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

requesting the united states armed forces to provide military oversight of all contractors and civilian workers at united States military facilities in the state.

WHEREAS, on May 6, 2021, operator error caused more than twenty thousand gallons of fuel to be released from the pipelines at Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, in an incident that the United States Navy maintains did not directly contaminate the State's drinking water; and

WHEREAS, in November 2021, a watch stander at Red Hill ran a cart into a low point drain valve, cracking a PVC pipe and spilling more than nineteen thousand gallons of fuel that had been deposited into the pipe by the May 6, 2021, fuel leak; and

WHEREAS, as a result of the November 2021 spill, more than three thousand three hundred gallons of fuel leaked from the Red Hill fuel storage tanks into the drinking water that services military housing on the island of Oahu, causing widespread illnesses and displacing thousands of military families; and

WHEREAS, in December 2021, groundwater sampling carried out near Red Hill in response to the fuel spills also detected per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which are associated with developmental defects, thyroid disease, multiple forms of cancer, and other health concerns; and

WHEREAS, on November 29, 2022, Kinetix, a maintenance contractor at the Red Hill facility, spilled approximately one thousand three hundred gallons of concentrated aqueous film forming foam, or firefighting foam, which contains per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances; and

WHEREAS, an investigation carried out by Rear Admiral Christopher Cavanaugh attributed the multiple accidents and spills to "a culture of complacency and . . . lack of professionalism" at Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility; and

WHEREAS, Rear Admiral Cavanaugh's report found that in February 2021, the commanding officer of Fleet Logistics Center Pearl Harbor effectively removed military oversight of the day‑to-day operations at Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility; and

WHEREAS, Rear Admiral Cavanaugh's report further found that there were no military members on duty or providing oversight when the May 6, 2021, fuel spill occurred; and

WHEREAS, Rear Admiral Cavanaugh's investigation revealed a general lack of military leadership and oversight at Red Hill Bulk Storage Facility, including "blurred lines of responsibility, authority, and accountability"; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, that the United States Armed Forces are requested to ensure military oversight of all contractors and civilian workers at United States military facilities in the State; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Secretary of Defense, United States Army Pacific Commanding General, United States Navy Pacific Fleet Commander, United States Pacific Air Forces Commander, United States Marine Corps Forces Pacific Commander, and United States Coast Guard District Fourteen Commander.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility; Contractors; Oversight