The state Department of Health said Tuesday the U.S. Navy is not using a qualified independent contractor to evaluate defueling the Red Hill facility, and is not in compliance with the emergency order.
The health department issued its emergency order on Dec. 6 after jet fuel leaked into the Navy’s water system.
The order specified that the Navy hire a qualified independent contractor, to be approved by DOH, to prepare a workplan to remove fuel from its Red Hill storage tanks.
The Navy selected Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, an engineering firm based on the Mainland, in January.
After evaluating the contract and related documents, the health department determined that the Navy would have undue influence on the contractor.
“It is critical that the work to defuel Red Hill is done safely and that the third-party contractor hired to oversee that work will operate in the interests of the people and environment of Hawaiʻi. Based on the contract, we have serious concerns about SGH’s work being done independently," Deputy Director of Environmental Health Kathleen Ho said.
DOH said that the Performance Work Statement and schedule do not provide opportunities for the department to review and approve the contractor’s plan.
"The proposed evaluation is only based on information provided by the Navy," the health department said.
DOH officials said the workplan appears to have been prepared according to the Navy secretary’s directive, rather than that of the emergency order.
