Americas News
Massive Bunker Leak at Pearl Harbor
Records from the U.S. Navy indicate that leaking fuel storage tanks and "other sources" have caused a subsurface oil plume of about 5 million gallons (almost 16,000 metric tonnes) consisting mostly of bunker fuel to collect over the years near Halawa Gate at the naval base in Pearl Harbor, local media reports.
The spill is reported to be difficult to access as it is lying under a "maze" of utility lines, with the estimated cost for clean up said to be in the tens of millions of dollars.
"This is the most egregious, the most harmful environmental issue there is," said Carroll Cox, an environmental activist.
"Oil should not be in the ground, diesel should not be in the ground because they are contaminants."
State Representative Chris Lee, chair of the House Environmental Protection Committee, noting that this is the first he has heard of the situation, said "I think the most important thing is transparency. This is something that has been happening for years both for this incident and others."
"We need to know if there is a risk posed by these tanks and others around the state because we need to stop this before (another) leak happens."
Due of the fuel's viscosity, Hawaii's State Health Department says it does not believe that the plume will seep into the water in the near future, although it notes that it could be environmentally damaging if that were to occur.
In March, the California Coast Guard said it was said to be responding to a 33 gallon bunker spill inside the Port of Long Beach.
