Schatz announces additional $150M allocated to defuel, permanently close Red Hill facility

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz on Wednesday announced that an additional $150 million in federal funding has been allocated to defuel and permanently shut down the Red Hill facility.

The money is in addition to the $100 million from last month, which was included in a larger government spending bill.

Schatz worked with top leaders in the Biden administration and Senate Appropriations Committee for the funding.

“We still have more work to do to make sure Red Hill is closed safely, but we now have significant resources to drain the tanks and get this right,” Schatz said in a statement.

On Monday, the Pentagon announced that it would empty and permanently close the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility.

The process of emptying the tanks and closing the facility could take a year or more, officials estimated.