Protect Community Oversight of Red Hill Shut Down & Remediation

We, the undersigned, urge the EPA, Navy, and Defense Logistics Agency to reverse the recently imposed "ground rules" for the Red Hill Community Representation Initiative (CRI). These new rules, adopted without public consultation, threaten to silence community voices and undermine transparency and accountability in addressing the Red Hill water crisis caused by the Navy’s Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility.

The CRI was established under the 2023 Administrative Consent Order (ACO) to ensure the federal government hears and addresses the questions and concerns of the Hawaiʻi community. It has since established itself as a leading voice for transparency and accountability, and served as the one forum that poisoned families and Hawai‘i residents have been able to rely upon, to raise questions and demand answers regardless of how inconvenient the Navy may find such matters.  

Now, these new rules will severely restrict the CRI’s ability to fulfill its purpose by:

1. Allowing Navy representatives to veto CRI agenda items they claim are “outside the scope” of the ACO, with no way to challenge such claims.
2. Allowing the Navy to refuse to answer questions they claim are “outside the scope” of the ACO or “related to litigation,” again without review or appeal process.
3. Limiting CRI agenda items to only those that are raised nearly a month in advance, with no exceptions for emergent issues or urgent new concerns.
4. Limiting public input to just 30 minutes every three months.
5. Prohibiting any meaningful exchange between public testifiers and the CRI or ACO parties during CRI meetings.

These restrictions effectively silence the voices of the CRI and by extension, the Hawaiʻi community. By curtailing the public engagement, transparency, and accountability provided by the CRI, they severely limit our community’s ability to ensure the safe closure of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility and the timely remediation of the land and water that it has contaminated. We cannot afford to let the Navy go back to once again ignoring our concerns, as it had for years leading up to the current Red Hill water crisis.  

Therefore, we demand the following actions from the EPA, Navy, and Defense Logistics Agency:

1. Reconsider and reverse the "ground rules" imposed on the CRI.
2. Ensure compliance with the ACO’s existing requirement for Navy and Defense Logistics Agency representatives to attend at least two CRI meetings per quarter.
3. Involve the community in future changes to the ACO by providing meaningful opportunities for public input and review.

The successful closure of Red Hill and the cleanup of our ʻāina and wai depend on strong community involvement. Silencing the CRI undermines this process and our trust in federal agencies. We call on you to respect the voices of Hawaiʻi’s people and prioritize transparency, accountability, and public engagement.