HONOLULU — Hawaii’s congressmen said Monday that a spending bill that must pass to avoid a government shutdown includes $403 million to deal with the crisis caused by the oil spill from a Navy fuel storage tank in Pearl Harbor drinking water.
The money includes $100 million to drain fuel from the Red Hill bulk fuel storage facility. It also orders the Department of Defense to comply with an emergency order from the State of Hawaii to empty the tanks. Last week, the military appealed Hawaii’s order in state and federal courts.
The legislation includes $250 million to address drinking water contamination and $53 million for general fund operations now directed to Red Hill.
U.S. Representative Ed Case said U.S. Senator Brian Schatz led efforts to include funding for Red Hill in negotiating with the Biden administration and his Senate colleagues. Case said he helped by securing agreement in the U.S. House and House Appropriations Committee.
Schatz and Case, both Democrats, serve on their respective chambers’ appropriations committees.
“This bill funds refueling and establishes Congress’ position on Red Hill: DOD must refuel and immediately follow the state’s order,” Schatz said in a statement.
Case said it was highly unusual for Congress to include new funding in a continuing resolution. He said this was reserved for “truly urgent matters that cannot wait for the normal appropriations process”.
Schatz said he was working with the Biden administration to secure additional funding in the president’s annual budget request and with the appropriations committee to include more money in an appropriations package that is expected to be taken up by Congress on next month.
Nearly 6,000 people were treated by military medical personnel after drinking or washing with water laced with fuel. The Navy is paying for some 4,000 military families to stay in hotels while it tries to clean oil from its water system.
Separately, Navy spokesman Rear Admiral Charlie Brown said the Navy would release its investigation into the cause of the contamination after officials review the report. Brown said in a statement that the command’s initial investigation was submitted to Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet on Jan. 14.
Xing Wu
