Sec. 331. Inspection of piping and support infrastructure at Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, Hawai‘i
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Congress finds the following: The continued availability and use of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in Honolulu, Hawai‘i is a matter of national security. Persistent fuel availability in quantity, location, and secured siting is a key component in ensuring resilient logistical support for sustained forward operations in the Indo-Pacific region and the execution of the National Defense Strategy, including the objectives of maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific. The Red Hill Bulk Fuel Facility is constructed in basalt rock that overlays a key aquifer serving as one of the major ground water resources for the fresh water needs of the City of Honolulu, including key military installations and associated facilities.
Past leaks from the tanks and other infrastructure of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, while not resulting in any appreciable effect to the aquifer, raise significant questions whether the facility is being operated and maintained to the highest standard possible and whether the facility presents a material risk to the aquifer and to Honolulu water resources. Safety inspections of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility at 10-year intervals, as required by the American Petroleum Institute 570 standards, set the upper boundaries for inspections.
In order to fully effectuate national security, assure the maximum safe utilization of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, and fully address concerns as to potential impacts of the facility on public health, it is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of the Navy and the Defense Logistics Agency should— operate and maintain the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility to the highest standard possible; and require safety inspections to be conducted more frequently based on the corrosion rate of the piping and overall condition of the pipeline system and support equipment at the facility.
The Secretary of the Navy shall direct the Naval Facilities Engineering Command to conduct an inspection of the pipeline system, supporting infrastructure, and appurtenances, including valves and any other corrosion prone equipment, at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. The inspection required by this subsection shall be performed— by an independent American Petroleum Institute certified inspector who will present findings of the inspection and options to the Secretary of the Navy for improving the integrity of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility and its appurtenances; and in accordance with the Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC-3-460-03) and American Petroleum Institute 570 inspection standards.
The inspection required by this subsection excludes the fuel tanks at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. In conjunction with the inspection required by subsection (c), the Naval Facilities Engineering Command shall prepare a life-cycle sustainment plan for the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, which shall consider the current condition and service life of the tanks, pipeline system, and support equipment. Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Navy shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report containing— the results of the inspection conducted under subsection (c); the life-cycle sustainment plan prepared under subsection (d); and options on improving the security and maintenance of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility.