Groups Want DeFueling and Closure of Red Hill Fuel Tanks - Take the survey, Register for HSTA Forum

Star Advertiser - Letters to Editor (1)

January 17, 2022

Congress, White House must shut down Red Hill Recently, the Manoa Neighborhood Board joined with two other boards, Makiki-Tantalus-Lower Punchbowl and Kalihi-Palama, to meet about Red Hill. Our boards hosted U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele, state Rep. Bob McDermott, the directors of the Honolulu Board of Water Supply and the Sierra Club of Hawaii, and more than 160 concerned residents. Manoa and Makiki both voted in favor of closing and de-fueling Red Hill. I went inside Red Hill in Spring 2014 with some well-known elected officials. Eight years later, what has been done? So little was accomplished that two more known releases occurred last year. And thousands of parents and children got sick from their tap water. Letting thousands of people be harmed by your own inaction is negligence. Enough. We need the Congress (and the White House) to lead. Red Hill is a federal issue, funded by the nation’s budget, regulated and operated by federal agencies. Dylan P. Armstrong Manoa

HSTA Board of Directors unanimously supports closure of Red Hill fuel storage facility

Multiple Hawaii public schools affected by tainted drinking water Posted: January 14, 2022

Article: https://www.hsta.org/news/recent-stories/hsta-board-of-directors-unanimously-supports-closure-of-red-hill-fuel-storage-facility/

The Hawaii State Teachers Association (HSTA) Board of Directors unanimously approved a proposal calling on the U.S. Navy to close its Red Hill fuel tanks which have contaminated drinking water. HSTA’s board approved the proposal Friday, which calls for an immediate emptying of fuel and a full closure of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility.

Navy officials on Tuesday agreed to comply with the state of Hawaii’s emergency order from Dec. 6 to drain its massive Red Hill underground fuel storage tanks. The World War II-era tanks have been leaking oil since late November and contaminating tap water in and around Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. Some 93,000 users of the tainted water system began reporting a fuel-like odor coming from their faucets.

Multiple Hawaii public schools, including Red Hill, Nimitz, Hickam, and Iroquois Point elementary schools, have been affected by petroleum products present in their water supply, leaving students and staff without clean drinking water from taps and disrupting operations such as meal preparation.

In addition, military families who live in the affected area have been temporarily relocated to hotels in Waikiki due to contaminated water in their homes, causing longer commute times, with no directive from the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) as to when it will be safe for families to return home.

Of the Navy’s compliance with the state’s order to drain its fuel tanks, HSTA President Osa Tui, Jr. said, “We appreciate that the Navy has finally decided to defuel the Red Hill fuel tanks, however, it is still concerning if more fuel in the ground poses a continued risk to Oahu’s freshwater aquifers.

“Affected schools have been struggling to deal with tainted water on top of issues brought about by COVID-19. For our students, our families, our communities, and our entire state, we must ensure that one of our most precious and vulnerable resources, freshwater, is never in jeopardy of contamination,” Tui said.

In 2008, HSTA passed a Clean Drinking Water in Public Schools measure at its Convention, asserting that every school’s drinking water should meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) requirements for clean drinking water. HSTA firmly believes that school water should be tested every six months and that irregularities should be reported immediately. Despite the Navy’s compliance with the state’s emergency order to remove its fuel from the tanks, there is still a possibility the Navy may contest the order by the state to shut down the tanks. Following the emergency order, the Navy argued that the state lacks the legal authority to compel the service to defuel the tanks, however, the DOH ruled it in fact had the authority to protect and regulate drinking water. It remains unclear if the Navy has plans to further contest the health department’s order.

Under the state order, the Navy has until Feb. 2 to submit a plan to DOH that details fixes that need to be completed in order to safely drain the tanks. After the DOH approves their plan, the Navy must make necessary repairs and defuel the tanks within 30 days. Attend HSTA forum on Red Hill water contamination Jan. 24

HSTA members are encouraged to attend a virtual forum on the Red Hill water contamination on Monday, Jan. 24, at 4 p.m. via Zoom. The session will address the Red Hill fuel contamination, Oahu’s aquifers, and the future of the Navy’s tanks and storage facility. Speakers will include representatives from the Sierra Club, Honolulu Board of Water Supply, and representatives from impacted Hawaii public schools.

Register here for the forum

Support the removal of the Red Hill fuel tanks with a signature scroll The Hawaii Youth Climate Coalition is spearheading a creative way for students to show their support for the removal of the Red Hill fuel tanks by collecting signature scrolls to ensure student voice is heard on the matter.

To participate, teachers can request a 10-inch sheet of scroll paper from the Hawaii Youth Climate Coalition. The scroll will read, “We, the youth of Oahu, support the removal of the Red Hill fuel tanks and our right to clean water.” Students can then add their signatures and may get as creative as they wish with drawings, messages or art.

When the scroll is full, it should be returned to the Hawaii Youth Climate Coalition where it will be added to other signature scrolls from around the island. The goal is to create one large signature scroll to present at hearings, and possibly even Washington, D.C., depending on how the crisis unfurls.

Teachers interested in receiving a signature scroll for their school should contact Dyson Chee, Hawaii Youth Climate Coalition executive director, at cheedyson@gmail.com.

Take the CDC’s Navy water system contamination survey

HSTA members who are affected by the Navy water system contamination are urged to take a survey from the public health team from the DOH and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by Feb. 7. Questions will cover water use, health symptoms and medical care sought. There will also be questions about the impacts on children and pets and your medical history. Your identity will be kept confidential.

Completion of the survey will help the DOH better understand the impacts of this contamination event and determine what steps are needed to protect the health of people who were exposed. A report with results will be summarized and made public at the conclusion of the survey.

Take the survey

HIDOE to present on Red Hill water contamination to BOE Jan. 20 The Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE) will present on the Red Hill water contamination and its effect on public schools, staff, students and the community at the Hawaii Board of Education meeting on Jan. 20.

According to the HIDOE, seven schools were identified as being supplied water by the United States Navy Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC). The HIDOE will present information regarding the HIDOE and BOE’s jurisdictional authority in the matter, as well as information on the schools affected, including student and staff well-being, academic interference and financial impacts.

Register to attend the meeting

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4. Congrats to HSTA-supported candidates

January 14, 2022|Categories: News|Tags: board of directors, COVID-19, Department of Health, Hawaii Board of Water Supply, Hawaii Department of Health, Hawaii Youth Climate Coalition, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Jr., Navy, Osa Tui, Red Hill, Sierra Club, Water contamination

From: "Travis Idol"

To:

Cc:

Sent: Monday January 17 2022 4:28:11PM

Subject: Fwd: Statement on Red Hill

HIPL friends and supporters, Sharing with you below a message of deep concern and a call to action to protect our environment, our health, and our very lives. While HIPL focuses on climate change and how people and communities of faith can respond, the contamination of our aquifer highlights one of the long-understood and well-accepted risks of relying on fossil fuels. Oil and fuel spills, air quality degradation, heavy metal contamination, acid precipitation, mining disasters, mountaintop removal, toxic waste discharges and dumping, even earthquakes from fractured bedrock: we should never have considered these reasonable or acceptable tradeoffs for the energy fossil fuels provide. We send our many thanks to Hawaii's religious leaders for speaking out and letting their voices be heard on behalf of a more just, equitable, and sustainable future for all. If you see the name of someone you know on this list of clergy, please send them your personal thanks for lending their name and voice so we all can be heard. With much aloha, Travis Idol, President Hawaii Interfaith Power and Light PO Box 37266, Honolulu, HI 96837 January 11, 2022 To Whom It May Concern We are sharing the statement that was sent to local Hawai`i newspapers in December to let you know that the undersigned, who are religious leaders in Hawai`i, fully support efforts to shut down the Red Hill Fuel Storage Facility permanently. We urge the Navy to close the facility permanently and relocate it to a place where it will not threaten the water, land, and people of Hawai`i. We give thanks for all of the leaders who have been working to close the facility for a very long time. Mahalo, The Rev. Jennifer Latham, co-chair Creation Care and Environmental Justice Task Force, The Episcopal Church in Hawai`i The Rev. Brianna Lloyd, co-chair Creation Care and Environmental Justice Task Force, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America The Rev. Jazzy Bostock, Maluhia Lutheran, ELCA, St. John the Baptist, TECH Bishop Robert L. Fitzpatrick, The Episcopal Church of Hawai`i Bishop Randolph Sykes, Inclusive Orthodox Church Honolulu, Interfaith Leader The Rev. Raymond Woo, Vicar at St Luke’s Episcopal Church The Rev. David J. Gierlach, Rector, St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church The Rev. Mark Kekaileonui Haworth, Halau Wa’a Episcopal The Rev. RK "Moki" Hino, Good Shepherd Episcopal Church The Rev. Cn. Heather Patton-Graham, Provost, The Cathedral of St. Andrew; Chaplain, St. Andrew’s Schools The Rev. Keleawe Hee, Vicar of Good Samaritan Episcopal Church The Rev. Alison Dingley, The Episcopal Church of Hawai`i The Rev. Christopher M. Bridges, Epiphany Episcopal Church The Rev. Prof. Gregory Johnson, The Episcopal Church of Hawai`i The Rev. Cn. Sandy Graham, The Episcopal Church of Hawai`i The Rev. Tim Morehouse, Upper School Chaplain, Iolani School The Ven. Steve Costa, Archdeacon, Episcopal Church of Hawai`i The Rev. Paul Lillie, Rector, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church The Rev. Heather Hill, Rector, The Parish of St. Clement The Rev. David Stout, Rector of the Parish Congregations of St. James’ Church The Rev. Dr. Moses D. Barrios, Calvary by the Sea Lutheran Church, ELCA The Rev. Diane Martinson, St. Peter's Episcopal Church The Rev. Dale Burke Pastor Roxanne WhiteLight, Kihei Lutheran Church, Maui The Rev. Deacon Lani Bowman, St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church, Kapa`au The Rev. Christopher Golding, School Chaplain, Seabury Hall FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 15, 2021 Statement initiated by The Reverend Jennifer Latham and The Reverend Brianna Lloyd SHUT DOWN RED HILL FUEL STORAGE FACILITY NOW! As people of faith we are called to care for the most vulnerable among us. We write out of concern for those who have fallen ill due to consumption of contaminated water from the Red Hill shaft, Halawa Tunnel. The water in the aquifer below Red Hill Fuel Facility, one of the most pristine sources of water in Hawai`i, is now in danger of being damaged forever. Ola I Ka Wai — “water is life.” Clean water is essential for our survival and health, and the survival of the `Āina. We join the Hawai`i Department of Health, Board of Water Supply, the City Council, Mayor Blangiardi, Governor Ige, Senators Schatz and Hirono, Representatives Kahele and Case in calling for the Navy to permanently close Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. The Navy has failed to operate this facility safely and responsibly, falling short of its own values of “Honor, Courage, and Commitment.” The recent leak in the Halawa Tunnel is a warning. What will happen if there is another leak? Will the community trust the Navy to protect us? We call for action from the Navy as a responsible protector of our military families and O`ahu citizens who depend on the safety of the aquifer beneath the 80 year-old Red Hill Fuel Facility. Faithfully, The Rev. Brianna Lloyd, The Lutheran Church of Honolulu, ELCA The Rev. Jennifer Latham, The Church of the Holy Nativity, TECH The Rev. Dr. Ha`aheo Guanson, Cathedral of St. Andrew, TECH, Interfaith Representative Cecilia H. Fordham, Interfaith Lay Leader, Educator, TECH The Rev. Keith Wolter, Pastor, Mililani Lutheran, ELCA

Letter from Superintendent of Schools about effect of water contamination on schools: https://boe.hawaii.gov/.../GBM_01202022_Presentation%20on...