US Navy wants public’s ideas on how to use Hawaii fuel tanks
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (AP) — The Navy on Tuesday said it will ask the public how it should use a fuel storage facility in the hills above Pearl Harbor once it has finished draining petroleum from its massive storage tanks.
The Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility leaked petroleum into Pearl Harbor’s tap water last year and sickened nearly 6,000 people, mostly those living in military housing.
The Navy said it would seek permission from the state Department of Health to leave the tanks inside the hillside where they were built during World War II.
Meredith Berger, assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, installations and environment, told reporters at a news conference that it would be safer for the environment to leave the tanks in place once they are cleaned.
