HONOLULU — A Hawaii judge has ruled that an exemption granted to the Navy after its massive fuel tanks leaked in 2014 violates state law.
A judge ruled in favor of environmental advocacy group Sierra Club on Wednesday which filed a lawsuit against the state Health Department in response to the spills beneath Red Hill on Oahu.
More than 27,000 gallons of jet fuel leaked from the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in January 2014. After the leak was repaired, the Navy began conducting annual tests on the tanks. The most recent test in November resulted in passing grades for each of the operating tanks beneath Red Hill.
Sierra Club’s lawyer David Kimo Frankel says the new state ruling will allow the state Department of Health to be tougher on the Navy.