WASHINGTON — The White House has committed to providing Hawaii with the federal resources it needs to address the water contamination crisis at Red Hill, U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz says.
The Democrat said he spoke Saturday with White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain and Homeland Security Advisor Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall to brief them on the water contamination crisis on Oahu.
For several days before the agreement was reached, Schatz and several other members of Hawaii’s delegation said they tried to reach out to the White House to call attention to the water crisis but their efforts were unsuccessful.
Schatz said that the effort moving forward would require working with both state and military leaders to ensure that enough federal funding is secured to clean up the water at Red Hill and get local families through the crisis.
On Sunday, Gov. David Ige and Hawaii's congressional delegation called on the Navy secretary to immediately suspend operations at Red Hill.
“Test results confirming contamination of drinking water at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam show that the Navy is not effectively operating the World War II-era facility," Ige said in a press release.
In late November, the U.S. Navy began an investigation into a leak at its Red Hill fuel storage facility after about 14,000 gallons of fuel and water leaked from a pipe for the facility’s fire suppression system.
The leak immediately sparked concerns among local officials because the facility is located near the area where most of those living in Oahu get their water.
According to U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, a Democrat, he spoke with two senior White House officials on Saturday about the water contamination crisis.
“Today, I spoke with White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain and Homeland Security Advisor Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall to brief them on the water contamination crisis on Oahu and request the Biden Administration’s support for all federal resources available to the state and to affected residents, including mobilizing EPA and all relevant federal agencies,” said Schatz.
For several days before the agreement was reached, Schatz and several other members of Hawaii’s delegation tried to reach out to the White House to call attention to the water crisis but their efforts were unsuccessful.
Schatz said that the effort would require working with both state and military leaders to ensure that enough federal funding is secured to clean up the water at Red Hill and get local families through the crisis.
On Sunday, Gov. David Ige and Hawaii's congessional delegation called on the Secretary of the Navy to immediately suspend operations at Red Hill.
“Test results confirming contamination of drinking water at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam show that the Navy is not effectively operating the World War II-era facility," Ige said in a press release.
In late November, the U.S. Navy began an investigation into a leak at its Red Hill fuel storage facility after about 14,000 gallons of fuel and water leaked from a pipe for the facility’s fire suppression system.
The leak immediately sparked concerns among local officials because the facility is located near the area where most of those living in Oahu get their water.