Senator Hirono Statement on Department of Defense’s Decision to Close Red Hill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), released the following statement on the Department of Defense’s decision to close the Red Hill Fuel Facility located on Oahu, Hawaii:

“I strongly support the Department of Defense’s decision to close the Red Hill facility, which I have been urging them to do for weeks. I have said from day one that ensuring the health and safety of the residents of Oahu is my top priority and I share the community’s big sigh of relief with this news. For weeks, I have taken every opportunity to call on the Department of Defense to shut down Red Hill. I would like to commend leadership at the Department of Defense—especially Deputy Secretary Hicks, with whom I have been in weekly contact over the last few months—for reaching the conclusion that shutting down this facility is the right thing to do for the people of Hawaii and for our environment. The military plays a vital role in Hawaii and it is important we work together going forward.

“There is a lot of work to do, including defueling the tanks safely and the long term cleanup efforts that will be required to close down the facility. I will continue to work very closely with the DoD, the Environmental Protection Agency and the State of Hawaii to make sure this happens.

“Additionally, as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I will work closely with DoD to ensure the Department has the resources to develop and implement a long-term plan to ensure we are able to meet the strategic fuel reserve needs of the Indo-Pacific Region and protect national security as the nation shifts to a more distributed force posture in the Pacific.”

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