A military contractor will be working to excavate the site of a diesel spill at the Maui Space Surveillance Complex on Haleakalā.
About 700 gallons of fuel leaked from a generator on Jan. 29 onto the cultural site. The military said a lightning strike caused the equipment to malfunction.
A work plan for remediation of the site is being reviewed by the state Department of Health.
During a visit to the site on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall said a reclamation plan is being drafted with local, state and community partners.
Brig. Gen. Anthony Mastalir, Space Forces Indo-Pacific commander, said the branch has begun assessing similar operations throughout the state for potential failures.
"Now as our engineers and electricians meticulously reviewed hundreds of data points to better understand the unusual failure mode associated with the generator's float and transfer pump assembly, we took immediate steps to share those findings widely," Mastalir said.
"The governor has asked us to go above and beyond. And so at Secretary Kendall’s direction, we have already begun to mobilize teams to conduct onsite inspections of generators at military installations across the state of Hawaiʻi," Mastalir continued.
The cleanup effort has included hiring an onsite cultural monitor.
