Navy Proposing Red Hill Closure Plan That Allows For Potential Reuse of Tanks

by Heather Mongilio, USNI, November 1, 2022

The Navy is looking to potentially reuse the tanks left behind following a complete closure of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, according to the closure plan released by the sea service Tuesday.

The Navy has proposed a “closure in place” as the best option to permanently close Red Hill once it’s completely defueled. The current timeline has the Joint Task Force – Red Hill removing all of the fuel by the end of June 2024 and the full closure in August 2027.

“The Navy has identified this as the best alternative for permanent closure because it would allow for beneficial non-fuel reuse of the tanks while minimizing impacts to the environment and local community, safety concerns, and schedule,” according to the closure plan.

This is just the first phase of selecting a plan. The Navy will go through periods of seeking comments from the Hawaii Department of Health and the general public before finalizing the proposal.

PDF: Tank Closure Plan, Nov 1, 2022

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