Schatz Statement On DoD Decision To Drop Challenge To Red Hill Order

HONOLULU – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) today released the following statement on the Department of Defense’s decision to withdraw its lawsuit challenging the State of Hawaiʻi’s emergency public health order on the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility.

“This is the right thing to do, and I worked very hard to push the DoD to make this decision. The legal challenge to the order made it difficult for the state to work cooperatively with the DoD, and dropping the lawsuit paves the way for us to shut down Red Hill this year,” said Senator Schatz.

Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, worked closely with the Biden Administration to include $1 billion in federal funding to defuel Red Hill in the president’s annual budget request last month. Schatz also secured $150 million in federal funding to defuel, permanently close Red Hill, and clean up contaminated water in the affected areas in March, and secured $100 million in federal funding to defuel Red Hill in February. Schatz continues to work with the administration and Senate leaders on securing additional funding to defuel the fuel storage facility.

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