$2.5M Proposed to Restore Natural Resources in Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii

A satellite image of a blue harbor surrounded by roads and human development (NASA).

Satellite image of Pearl Harbor (Credit: NASA).

May 1, 2021

On April 23, 2021 a Consent Decree was lodged that includes $2.5 million to restore natural resources injured by releases of hazardous substances at the Oahu Sugar site at Pearl Harbor in Oahu, Hawaii. The settlement also includes $5 million to be paid to the United States Navy for cleanup and response costs. Co-trustees for the site include NOAA and the U.S. Department of the Interior.

The Oahu Sugar Company Ltd. operated sugar cane fields and associated facilities on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, and leased land at Pearl Harbor from the United States Department of Defense and Department of Navy from roughly 1947-1995. Over the years these activities at the site resulted in the release of hazardous substances in the environment and injuries to natural resources.

The public is invited to review and comment on this Consent Decree through May 24, 2021. Comments may be submitted online or by mail to the U.S. Department of Justice:

By e-mail: pubcomment-ees.enrd@usdoj.gov
By mail: Assistant Attorney General, US DOJ—ENRD, P.O. Box 7611, Washington, D.C. 20044-7611.

For more information, please contact Laurie Sullivan or Matt Parry.