Bill Text: HI SCR73 | 2014 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: DOH; Task Force; Red Hill; Fuel Leak

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2014-06-05 - Certified copies of resolutions sent, 06-04-14. [SCR73 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2014-SCR73-Amended.html

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THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	73
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2014		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE DIRECTOR OF HEALTH TO CONVENE A TASK FORCE TO STUDY THE EFFECTS OF THE JANUARY 2014 FUEL TANK LEAK AT THE RED HILL UNDERGROUND FUEL STORAGE FACILITY.

 

 

     WHEREAS, the Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility is located near Pearl Harbor and operated by the United States Navy; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Red Hill facility was built between 1940 and 1943 to support war efforts in the Pacific during World War II; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Red Hill facility contains twenty cylindrical tanks, each of which can hold up to 12,500,000 gallons of fuel, and continues to provide secure fuel storage for ships and aircraft of the United States Pacific Fleet and other military services; and

 

     WHEREAS, in January of this year, fuel operators at Red Hill discovered a discrepancy in the fuel level in one of the tanks, specifically tank number five; and

 

     WHEREAS, upon further investigation, it was determined that tank number five had leaked an estimated 27,000 gallons of JP-8 aviation fuel; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Honolulu Board of Water Supply temporarily shut down four wells in the vicinity of the Red Hill facility as a proactive and precautionary measure to ensure the continuous safety of drinking water in the area; and

 

     WHEREAS, military documents filed with the State note dozens of leaks dating back to 1949; and

 

     WHEREAS, studies indicate that past fuel releases have already contaminated the groundwater and soil beneath the Red Hill facility with petroleum hydrocarbons and also discuss the risk of large releases of fuel to the groundwater aquifer and the environment; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Honolulu Board of Water Supply's Halawa Shaft is approximately 5,000 feet northwest of the Red Hill facility and provides water to hundreds of thousands of people on Oahu; and

 

     WHEREAS, a nearby Navy well provides 24 percent of the potable water to the Pearl Harbor water system; and

 

WHEREAS, prevention will cost significantly less than the cost to clean up large scale contamination to the groundwater aquifer and the environment; and

 

     WHEREAS, it has been reported that the age of the facility and the mission-critical requirements for its storage capacity combine to present a significant future risk of a moderate to large release of fuel to the underlying ground water; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2014, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Director of Health is requested to convene a task force to study the effects of the January 2014 fuel tank leak at the Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Director of Health is requested to serve as the Chairperson of the task force and to invite interested parties to be members of the task force, including:

 

     (1)  One member representing the United States Navy;

 

     (2)  One member representing the United States Environmental Protection Agency;

 

     (3)  One representative selected by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and one senator selected by the President of the Senate;

     (4)  One member representing the Department of Land and Natural Resources;

 

     (5)  One member representing the Honolulu Board of Water Supply; and

 

     (6)  Not less than two members from the community at large; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to consider:

 

     (1)  The short- and long-term effects of the leak at the Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility, including effects relating to the health of residents, safe drinking water, and the environment;

 

     (2)  Response strategies to mitigate the effects of future leaks at the Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility;

 

     (3)  Ways to improve communication between the United States Navy, the State, and the public in the event of future leaks at the Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility; and

 

     (4)  The implications of shutting down the Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health is requested to provide any necessary administrative, professional, technical, and clerical support to the task force; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the United States Navy is urged to work with the Department of Health and the Honolulu Board of Water Supply to remediate the contamination beneath the Red Hill Facility to protect and prevent contamination of the groundwater aquifer; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Director of Health is requested to submit a report of the task force's findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than 20 days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2015; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health, the Commander of the United States Pacific Fleet, the Commander of the United States Pacific Command, the Environmental Protection Agency's Pacific Islands Contact Office, the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, and the Manager and Chief Engineer of the Honolulu Board of Water Supply.

Report Title: 

DOH; Task Force; Red Hill; Fuel Leak