JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii – The Navy is reminding the public to complete an online survey to provide input and potential ideas for non-fuel alternatives of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility (RHBFSF) after it is defueled and closed. The deadline to complete the online survey is May 31, 2023. The survey launched on March 31, 2023, and can be accessed at the website: https://www.redhillrepurposing.com/. To date, approximately 350 surveys have been completed.
The survey gives the public the opportunity to provide suggestions for how the facility should be utilized after it is closed. The survey also asks how individuals are hearing and learning about Red Hill and what additional information they would like to know. Responses to the survey are confidential and anonymous, and no personal information will be included with the results.
A separate survey will be conducted later this summer to a geographically representative set of households from across Oahu with an oversampling of households in the Red Hill area. This survey will be conducted by mail with households in geographic areas surrounding Red Hill and via the internet with a sampling of households island-wide.
The surveys are part of a contract between the Navy and the Nakupuna Companies, a Native Hawaiian-owned and local small business. The contract requires Nakupuna to develop a report, based on local public input, regarding potential alternative uses of the facility following its closure. The Nakupuna Companies has subcontracted local firm SMS Research & Marketing Services, Inc., to develop and administer the surveys. The results of the study will be available to the public. The Navy intends to use this community input on the recommended beneficial non-fuel use of the RHBFSF in a separate report due to Congress in February 2024.
The Navy will continue to keep the public informed on the number of surveys completed via periodic press releases and other communication outreach efforts, including but not limited to providing updates to community groups, neighborhood boards, Native Hawaiian organizations and other interested parties.
On May 6, 2022, the DOH issued an Emergency Order to the Navy requiring the Navy to defuel and close the RHBFSF. A requirement in that order for closing the facility was for the Navy to meet with the DOH. That meeting was held on July 14, 2022, and included discussion on closure options and elements the DOH required in the Closure Plan. The Navy’s Closure Plan, submitted to the DOH and the public on Nov. 1, 2022, included provisions for the Navy to explore and evaluate potential options. The Department of Defense will not allow for hazardous materials to be stored over the aquifer, and the Navy, at DOH’s request, has committed to exploring possible beneficial non-fuel uses of the RHBFSF. As part of fulfilling the requirement of the DOH, the Navy awarded this contract to the Nakupuna Companies.
The Navy is committed to keeping the public informed on the status of this initiative by publishing periodic press releases. For more information on these actions, go to https://cnrh.cnic.navy.mil/Operations-and-Management/Red-Hill/Red-Hill-News-Releases-and-Media-Coverage/
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