HONOLULU – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in coordination with the Department of the Navy and Defense Logistics Agency, is seeking individuals to submit self-nominations to represent their community as part of the Red Hill Community Representation Initiative (CRI). The nomination period begins Wednesday, August 23, 2023, and closes Wednesday, September 6. Members of the public who are selected to participate will meet monthly with government agencies to provide input into and exchange information on defueling, closure, and drinking water protection at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility.
The 10 CRI members and alternates will be selected at a hybrid (in-person and virtual) meeting on September 16. Once the CRI is formed, members will create internal ground rules and hold their first meeting with EPA and Navy representatives in late September/early October.
As the aim of the Community Representation Initiative is to bring a diverse set of voices to the table, nominations from a broad range of community groups are encouraged. The CRI should represent, among others, military and civilian-affected communities, residents living in or displaced from impacted areas, Oʻahu residents, neighborhood board members, business leaders, educators, individuals with a historical perspective, and all generations, including kūpuna and youth. Seats on the CRI are open for affected residents (2 seats), Oʻahu residents (4 seats), Community-Based Organizations/Activists (2 seats), and those representing Native Hawaiian interests (2 seats).
Interested parties may nominate themselves by submitting their name, email, phone number, chosen affiliation, and bio on EPA's Red Hill Community Representation Initiative webpage.
For questions about the CRI formation process, please contact the Red Hill Environmental Justice Coordinator, Dominique Smith at (808) 541-2724 or RedHill@epa.gov.
For more information, please see EPA's Community Representation Initiative Summary of Scoping Process Fact Sheet.
Read the Final 2023 Consent Order and Statement of Work on EPA’s website.
Read about EPA’s work at Hawai'i's Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility.
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