The Navy continues to conduct cleanup operations at its Red Hill fuel facility where an estimated 1,100 gallons of concentrated fire suppressant containing hazardous chemicals was released into the ground. Read more
About 1,100 gallons of toxic fire suppressant was spilled Tuesday at the Navy’s Red Hill fuel facility, an incident that state Department of Health officials described as “egregious.” Read more
Health officials say efforts are underway to recover the fire suppressant foam and that no surface water was contaminated. Read more
The board overseeing Oahu’s municipal water system adopted a plan Monday for responding to water shortages in the event of an emergency, such as a severe drought, damage to infrastructure or water contamination as in the case of 2021’s Red Hill disaster. Read more
The hefty subsidies, created during the COVID-19 pandemic when millions of Americans were losing their jobs, were set to expire at the end of this year resulting in big spikes in monthly health care costs for middle- and low-income households. Read more
Stanford Health Care, which has a main campus in Palo Alto, says it provided $2.3 million in care to patients covered by HMSA health plans, but the insurer reimbursed it only $335,674, or 14% of the costs. Read more
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The Navy has yet to sign on to a roundtable convened by state and federal environmental regulators to share information and chart an action plan for remediating fuel contamination caused by the Navy’s Red Hill fuel facility, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Read more
The state agency tasked with protecting Hawaii’s public beaches and coastal ecosystems says it can’t support a request from a Sunset Beach homeowner who dumped concrete onto the public beach to now install a temporary barrier, such as a so-called burrito, to protect his homes. Read more
The proposed starting pay for many Kaiser mental health therapists in Hawaii is about 20% less than their counterparts in Northern California, according to salary data released by the National Union of Healthcare Workers, whose members in Hawaii are fighting for higher pay and benefits. Read more
More than 100 military family members and civilians who were on the Navy’s Joint Base Pearl Harbor- Hickam drinking water system when it was contaminated with jet fuel in 2021 have joined a lawsuit suing the federal government, alleging military officials provided inadequate medical care in the days and months following the emergency. Read more
The Land Board on Thursday unanimously approved a settlement agreement between the state and Denise and James O’Shea, who were accused in 2017 of building an illegal seawall on Sunset Beach that stands 15 feet tall, 46 feet long and 8 feet thick at its base. Read more
The initial lawsuit was filed in August on behalf of four military families who say their exposure to the contamination resulted in long-term health problems. Read more
The Honolulu Board of Water Supply’s top official expressed concern Wednesday that the Navy might try to revive its underground Red Hill storage tanks at some point in the future for fuel use, despite the Department of Defense’s assurances to the contrary. Read more
After five years of drawn-out litigation, the state has reached a proposed settlement agreement with Denise and James O’Shea, who were accused of building an illegal seawall along Sunset Beach on Oahu’s famed North Shore. Read more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finally given the Hawaii state laboratory the OK after downgrading its certification status more than three years ago after an inspection found multiple issues with the condition of the building. Read more
Methamphetamine continues to be the most deadly drug on Oahu, in contrast to a national trend of soaring deaths related to fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, according to a new state dashboard that tracks metrics related to substance abuse and mental health disorders. Read more
Defense officials were hesitant to discuss potential uses of the Red Hill facility, though they did mention using it for a hydroelectric plant to provide an alternative energy source. Read more
The “closure in place” plan is designed to allow the Navy to potentially find another use for the tanks, while minimizing environmental, public health and safety risks. Read more
A report released this week by a community working group lays out the growing catastrophe Oahu’s North Shore will face in the coming decades amid accelerated sea level rise, while providing a framework for policymakers to devise immediate and incremental strategies for adapting to environmental realities. Read more
Every tap within schools and child care facilities that are used by children was tested. DOH then retested the locations that registered lead at or above 15 ppb. Read more
Zdenek “Don” Prchal was under pressure to sell. His oceanfront property along a disappearing beach in Punaluu was accruing fines of $15,000 a day. Read more
