RED HILL: Aiona and McDermott call for immediate action

(Honolulu, HI) – Lt. Gov Duke Aiona and State Rep. Bob McDermott call for water treatment systems to be put in place immediately to provide proactive protection against the continued leaks and eventual oil migration of the Red Hill aquifer. Aiona and McDermott assert not enough is being done by Governor Ige, Lt. Governor Josh Green, or Hawaii’s congressional delegation. No emergency order has been given by Governor Ige, and Hawaii’s Congressional Delegation has only gotten money for remediation and not prospective preventive measures like water treatment facilities for all shafts and wells in the affected area. Aiona and McDermott say action needs to happen immediately.

Rep. McDermott said, “Red Hill possesses an existential threat to our water supply. It is not If, it is when our aquifer gets spoiled. “ Dr. David M. Norflee’s expert testimony in the 12/21 contested case hearing revealed that “...more releases of fuel from the Red Hill facility are basically inevitable, and the Red Hill underground storage tanks have a history of leaking and will continue to leak.” Meanwhile our congressional delegation has been unfocused, lacking any sense of urgency and missed funding opportunities in both the $1.2 Trillion infrastructure bill and the recent $800 Billion climate/inflation bill.

Lt Gov Aiona stated, “We are calling for an immediate installation of Water Treatment facilities to be put in place for our civilian water supply. We can’t wait any longer. As Governor, I will declare an immediate state of emergency to get construction started on preventive water treatment facilities/systems that the BWS deems necessary. (If Gov calls emergency 75/25 split: President calls 100%)

This must begin immediately. Our entire water network is at risk. Much of Honolulu’s water infrastructure will be damaged if the main aquifer is breached. As Judge David Day said, “the Red Hill Facility, as currently constituted, poses an imminent peril to human health and safety or the environment is a fact established by a preponderance of the evidence.”

McDermott added, “According to the Navy’s own reports, there are already small levels of petroleum contamination, and there is a 27% chance of a catastrophic spill, a 1/3 chance! We must take proactive measures today. I alerted the Gov. almost a year ago on this matter and yet nothing proactive has been built. We get no second chances…construction must start immediately.”

McDermott went on to say that the Federal Government MUST pay for this effort. Our Congressional Delegation has failed to secure funding for a decommissioning order. Worse yet, they have secured NO preventive water treatment systems or filtration for the civilian population. Every shaft and well that the BWS deems necessary we must provide water treatment. (In 2014 dollars that was 28M per shaft according to the Navy’s own reports.)

McDermott concluded, “All levels of our government have been too slow to act. This has been a catastrophic failure of our Congressional Delegation who seem more concerned with climate change than diesel in our drinking water. Their priorities should be clean, safe drinking water for all citizens. All this recent federal spending and not 10 cents for the protection of local people and their water. Auwe.”