Inhofe Asks for More Information About Pentagon Decision to Close Red Hill

Press Release

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement today after Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the closure and defueling of Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage in Honolulu, Hawaii. The announcement comes after a large spill of jet fuel from a fire suppression drain line, believed to be the result of human error, contaminated drinking water in the surrounding environment, affecting 8,000 military families in the area and more local civilians.

"My top priority is the health and safety of our military families. What happened in Red Hill was a serious and unfortunate mistake, and I'm glad the U.S. Navy has been working diligently to make things right for military families and all those in the affected communities.

"However, I would like to learn more about the potential operational risk of taking Red Hill offline. Secretary Austin has stated that it is his goal to shut down this facility in just one year, but we haven't seen a plan for how that is going to happen, and we don't know if that plan is fully funded to execute as quickly as possible. We also need to understand how the Department of the Navy and Indo-Pacific Command will mitigate risk in this theater, how the repositioning of fuel will align with the National Defense Strategy, and if the Department of Defense has assessed the strategic value of Hawaii to all operational planning before making this decision.

"I look forward to getting these questions and more answered as we begin the next defense authorization bill."

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