JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii–The Navy has
provided additional details on the scope and schedule for the contract to
develop and execute an outreach program to solicit public recommendations
for potential non-fuel repurposing of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage
Facility (RHBFSF).
The contract between the Navy and the Nakupuna Companies, a Native
Hawaiian-owned and local small business, requires Nakupuna to develop a
report based on local public input regarding potential alternative uses of
the facility following its closure. Under the contract scope of work,
Nakupuna and its team of sub-consultants will develop two separate
surveys, shaped by input from community leaders, regulatory agencies,
environmental groups, and academia, to solicit feedback from the residents
of Oahu. The local firm, CommPac, LLC, will be researching and providing
survey content. SMS Research & Marketing Services, Inc., will be
conducting the quantitative and qualitative surveys.
The first survey will be available online to the general public, and the
second will be made available through both a mail-in survey, with pre-paid
postage, intended for the residents in the neighboring areas around Red
Hill, as well as online for the residents of Oahu. Anyone interested in
receiving information about the surveys can register at the website
https://www.redhillrepurposing.com/.
The online qualitative survey will give the public the opportunity to
provide suggestions for the non-fuel repurposing of Red Hill and to gather
an estimate of how people are hearing and learning about Red Hill as well
as identify additional information the community would like to know. The
quantitative survey will be conducted by mail to residents in the area
surrounding Red Hill and online for residents island-wide. The following
is a time frame of major milestones:
| Milestones |
TimeFrame |
| Contract Award |
31 January 2023 |
| Release Qualitative Survey on Website |
April 2023 |
| Spring FTAC Meeting - Provide Update on Qualitative Survey |
May 2023 |
|
Release QuantitativeSurvey via On-Line and Distribute Mail Outs
|
June 2023 |
| Analyze Survey Results and Prepare Report |
September 2023 |
| Submit Final Report on Surveys to Navy |
November 2023 |
| Fall FTAC Meeting - Provide Results on Quantitative Survey |
November 2023 |
The Navy will continue keeping the public informed on the status of the
surveys via periodic press releases and other communication outreach
efforts, including – but not limited to – providing updates to community
groups, neighborhood boards, Native Hawaiian organizations and other
interested parties. People interested in being notified when the online
website survey is ready can register on the website. The results of the
study will be available to the public. The Navy intends to use this
community input on the recommended beneficial non-fuel reuse of the RHBFSF
in a separate report due to Congress in February 2024.
On May 6, 2022, the DOH issued an Emergency Order to the Navy requiring
the Navy to defuel and close the RHBFSF. A requirement in that order for
closing the facility was for the Navy to meet with the DOH. That meeting
was held on July 14, 2022, and included discussion on closure options and
elements the DOH required in the Closure Plan. The Navy’s Closure Plan,
submitted to the DOH and the public on Nov. 1, 2022, included provisions
for the Navy to explore and evaluate potential options. The Department of
Defense will not allow for hazardous materials to be stored over the
aquifer, and the Navy, at DOH’s request, has committed to exploring
possible beneficial non-fuel reuses of the RHBFSF. As part of fulfilling
the requirement of the DOH, the Navy has awarded a contract to the
Nakupuna Companies.
The Navy is committed to keeping the public informed on the status of this
initiative by publishing periodic press releases. For more information on
these actions, go to
https://cnrh.cnic.navy.mil/Operations-and-Management/Red-Hill/Red-Hill-News-Releases-and-Media-Coverage/