It’s official: The Pentagon has formally told Congress that closure of the Navy’s underground Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility will not adversely affect military operations in the Pacific. Good. That certification requirement was a provision added to the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act — and it raised skepticism over the military’s good faith over Red Hill’s closure.

Back in March 2022, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had announced that the military would defuel and permanently close the facility. That decision brought huge relief here, after years of fuel spills and Navy falsehoods about the tank system’s safety.