The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Region 9 Office covering the West Coast and the Pacific is on the Big Island, making her first visit to Maunakea. Martha Guzman is also trying to get the word out about new federal money to improve water infrastructure for underserved communities — specifically getting 87,000 people off of cesspool systems.
The Conversation spoke with her and Kathleen Ho, environmental deputy director of the Hawaiʻi Department of Health, about Maunakea, cesspools and the Red Hill fuel storage facility.
This interview aired on The Conversation on Aug. 31, 2022. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.