Pentagon Wants Delay in Draining Red Hill in Interest of National Security, DoD Leaders Say

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The Pentagon wants more time to weigh its options before it complies with an order from the Hawaii state government to drain the fuel out of a strategically important resupply hub at Red Hill, department officials said this week.

The Hawaii Department of Health issued an emergency order in December to drain the tanks of the World War II-era fuel depot that can hold about 250 million gallons of fuel after a 14,000-gallon fuel leak contaminated drinking water used by military and civilian families. The Navy initially said it would comply with the order, USNI News reported last month.