Joint Task Force – Red Hill finished removing residual oil from the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility last week, one of the last tasks for the group, led by Vice Adm. John Wade, before it stands down.
Joint Task Force – Red Hill, put in place by the Department of Defense after the November 2021 fuel leak, was responsible for defueling the facility, including via the more passive gravity defueling and the more active residual fuel removal. On March 28, the joint task force will stand down, with the Navy Closure Task Force – Red Hill taking over the mission of closing the facility.
The Navy closure task force and the joint task force worked together in a transition period during the residual fuel removal phase, USNI News previously reported.
During the residual fuel removal, the joint task force removed 61,414 gallons of accessible fuel, according to a news release from the joint task force. There will be about 4,000 gallons of fuel and 28,000 gallons of sludge that must be removed by the closure task force.
Overall, the joint task force removed 104,703,574 gallons of fuel, according to the release. The task force finished defueling the bulk storage facility approximately six months ahead of time, with initial plans estimating defueling finishing at the end of July 2024.
The current plan for the facility is closure in place, which could allow the Navy to reuse the facility, including for storage of something other than fuel, USNI News previously reported.
The Hawaii State Legislature recognized Wade and the joint task force Tuesday for defueling the facility, the joint task force said in a Wednesday news release.
“Vice Admiral Wade didn’t create this catastrophe – he inherited it. He owned it and took on the assignment head on,” Hawaii Sen. Glenn Wakai said in the release. “Vice Admiral Wade held numerous town hall meetings where he was confronted by angry service members, their families, and environmentalists. In all cases I witnessed, he responded to furious criticisms with respect and grace. His answers were honest. His efforts were earnest.”
