The newly stood-up Navy Closure Task Force-Red Hill appears to be off to a rough start. A community group maintains the Navy is trying to strong-arm a process agreed to under a work order issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The Red Hill Community Representation Initiative was established in September 2023 following the fuel contamination of Navy drinking water in 2021.
“The December meeting did not go well.” Those were the words of a military official explaining why the Navy would not attend a CRI meeting Thursday.
"I think that's one of the things that I take offense to," said Oʻahu resident Walter Chun, a member of the CRI. "If they're going to continue to lie to us or not tell us the truth, give us information, people will react publicly like they have in previous meetings before the CRI."
"I would think that the Navy and EPA would take that home as a lesson. We are not acting poorly, we're acting out of frustration because we're being treated the way we're being treated," Chun added.
The Navy said it would look to meetings in February and March, indicating it wants to restructure the gatherings to make them more productive.
Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi representative and attorney David Kimo Frankel said the Navy does not have the legal authority to restructure the CRI but would like to because "it is unable to control us."
"The Navy would like to be able to deliver its talking points to us, set the agenda without us being able to take information we need," Frankel said at the meeting. He said the Navy has proposed a series of private meetings with CRI members before the next meeting in February.
"But at least some of us are not interested or willing to do that. They can make their pitch in February at our meeting itself to the public and let everyone know what changes they would like to see," Frankel said.
The CRI is also composed of two military wives who are suing the Navy over the fuel contamination. There appear to be concerns that the forum is being used to try to get information that could be used in the litigation.
Just hours before the scheduled meeting Thursday, there was a gathering of a different sort at Pearl Harbor to mark the official start of a new Red Hill task force.
Joint Task Force-Red Hill is in the process of turning over the reins to the Navy Closure Task Force-Red Hill. Rear Adm. Stephen Barnett is to take over from Vice Adm. John Wade in March.
"It's just the beginning. We have a long way to go," Barnett said.
When asked about the military's decision not to take part in the Thursday evening meeting, Barnett essentially said the decision was out of his hands.
He said the decision was made by top brass in Washington, D.C., the policymakers and signatories on the work order — the Navy, the Defense Logistics Agency and the EPA.
EPA officials issued a statement saying it is committed to the process and looks forward to meeting with the parties in February.
This story aired on The Conversation on Jan. 19, 2024. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1. Sophia McCullough adapted this story for the web.
