Steiner, Mark. (January 20, 2022). Water protectors in Hawaii confront dangerous environmental polluter: the US military. Retrieved January 27, 2022, from Water protectors in Hawaii confront dangerous environmental polluter: the US military (therealnews.com)
The US Navy’s Red Hill Fuel Storage Facility has been leaking hundreds of thousands of gallons of petroleum into the aquifer that provides drinking water for thousands of Hawaii residents. This has been going on for years, even since the facility’s construction, and native Hawaiian residents have been speaking out about it to no avail. The facility didn’t pause operating until military families living in the area reported having symptoms of petroleum poisoning. Native Hawaiians have been fighting for their land and for their rights, but the US military is rarely held accountable for their operations in Oahu.
Upon reading this article, it is clear that native Hawaiians are being disproportionately affected by the issue of petroleum in their aquifers. Despite Hawai’ians speaking out their concerns for years, the US did nothing until families of their own members started complaining as well. This goes to show that the US military, and the US federal government in general, isn’t listening to native voices. I was really shocked after reading this article. I hadn’t heard anything about petroleum contaminating Oahu’s biggest aquifer before reading the article, despite it being a massive issue. It made me wonder why something so devastating hasn’t been more widely shared. The US military’s presence on the Hawaiian islands has caused a lot of lasting environmental damage, and yet it is rarely (if ever) spoken about. This is definitely a problem, and I feel that more should be done to hold the US military accountable for their actions against environmental justice for native Hawaiians.
I am disappointed as well for not knowing about this issue prior to reading your post. It has been true for decades that the environmental impact caused by the US military is immense, yet the government does not call on military forces to make a change and environmental threats are often covered up to protect their actions. The US’s refusal to listen to native Hawaiians is just one instance of ignorance toward environmental justice issues and is definitely part of why this issue goes unresolved. In what ways would you suggest holding the US military accountable in Oahu and across the country?
Hi, thank you for your comment. I’ll admit that I’m not entire sure how to hold the military accountable for their actions across the world, but I feel as though policies would have to be established in the federal government. If the federal government put policies/laws into place that limited the military in terms of affecting the environment and nearby people, it might help.