Honolulu: Attorneys for the U.S. Navy on Wednesday appealed Hawaii’s order that it drain massive tanks that store fuel in the hills above Pearl Harbour, saying the state wrongly concluded the tanks posed an imminent threat that requires immediate action.
A complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Honolulu asks a judge to stop the order.
The motion said the Navy hopes to resolve its differences with Hawaii through negotiation but filed a complaint anyway because of time restrictions under Hawaii law.
Attorneys for the Navy filed a similar motion in state court in case a federal judge decided not to act on its complaint, the filing said.
Hawaii last month ordered the Navy to drain its tanks at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Facility after fuel leaked from the complex into a drinking water well and contaminated tap water at Pearl Harbour homes and offices.
Thousands of people have been treated for physical ailments and 4,000 military families are staying in hotels because of the leak.
The defendant in the case, the state Department of Health, didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.