SUPPORT SB2046 SD2: No Jet Fuel In Water

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March 14 Update

SB2046 SD2 would set a binding legal standard for the remediation of jet fuel released from underground storage tank facilities, including the U.S. Navy’s Red Hill Bulk Fuel Underground Storage Tank System. Originally setting a common sense standard of zero detectable jet fuel in our environment and aquifer, this bill was amended at the request of Governor Green’s Department of Health to only require the Navy to clean up its mess “to the extent practicable.”

Please submit testimony to restore this bill’s original provisions at its hearing on Tuesday, March 17, at 9:15 a.m. in Conference Committee room 325 by the House Energy & Environmental Protection Committee (to be broadcast live on Youtube here). 

Sample Testimony for SB2046 SD2

Aloha Chair Lowen, Vice Chair Perruso, and Committee Members,

My name is ______ and I strongly urge you to PASS, WITH CRITICAL AMENDMENTS, SB2046 SD2. 

As originally drafted, this bill would have made clear that any jet fuel released from an underground storage tank system - such as the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility - must be completely cleaned up. 

Unfortunately, Hawaiʻi Department of Health testimony resulted in amendments that replaced its clear, enforceable, and common sense standard for jet fuel remediation with a vague and practically unenforceable “as much as practicable” standard. 

This change, combined with the removal of a rebuttable presumption regarding the source of jet fuel surrounding an underground storage tank facility after a confirmed release, all but assures that the Navy will evade true accountability for the Red Hill catastrophe.

After having ignored years of public outcry, whistleblower complaints, and basic common sense prior to the 2021 catastrophe, the Navy must not be allowed to ignore the harms it has inflicted on our ʻāina and wai. There should be NO jet fuel in our precious and once-pure drinking water or in our environment, especially when it has been released by the reckless operation of a decrepit underground storage tank facility after years of objections by Hawaiʻi's residents. 

Please stand with the elected and agency officials of the Red Hill Water Alliance Initiative, the Oʻahu community, and all who care about our precious wai, and ensure that SB2046 SD2 moves forward with the clear and enforceable remediation standard and rebuttable presumption found in the original draft of this common sense measure. If overbreadth is a concern, I respectfully recommend including provisions that would limit this requirement to underground storage tank systems with a capacity of 1 million gallons or more.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony instructions

  1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (youʻll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email).

  2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

  3. Enter "SB2046” where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

  4. Input your information, select “SUPPORT”, write or copy/paste your testimony, and select your testimony option(s)—in-person + written, remotely + written, written only. Please consider providing verbal testimony (in-person or remotely) if you are able!

    Note: Virtual testimony option may be disabled 24 hours before the hearing.

  5. If you are testifying via Zoom, be sure to review these instructions (page 4).

  6. Spread the word!

February 28 Update

SB2046 SD1 passed out of the Senate Committee on Judiciary on February 26 without the critical amendments needed to fully protect our water security. The measure originally required the Navy to remediate all jet fuel-related contamination from the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility to below-detectable levels. However, during its first hearing, it was amended at the request of the Department of Health to weaken those protections.⁠
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Mahalo nui to the over 70 individuals and organizations who submitted testimony in support and with comments urging the measure be amended.⁠

February 24 Update

The “No Jet Fuel in Water Bill,” SB2046 SD1, has a hearing scheduled for Thursday at 10am, and due to watered-down amendments made at the behest of the Hawaiʻi Department of Health, your testimony is needed now more than ever.

Despite the common-sense premise of the original draft of this measure – that jet fuel released from large underground storage tank systems, including the Red Hill facility, must be fully cleaned up – Governor Green’s Department of Health has pushed for amendments to only require the Navy to clean up its mess “to the extent practicable.” 

This is unacceptable. We need this bill to keep moving if we want to have an enforceable cleanup standard for the Navy, but we also need the Judiciary Committee to recognize that its current language is now so vague as to be practically unenforceable, thanks to the testimony of the Green administration.

Sample Testimony

Aloha Chair Rhoads, Vice Chair Gabbard, and Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee,

My name is ______ and I strongly urge you to PASS, WITH CRITICAL AMENDMENTS, SB2046 SD1. 

As originally drafted, this bill would have made clear that any jet fuel released from an underground storage tank system - such as the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility - must be completely cleaned up. 

Unfortunately, Hawaiʻi Department of Health testimony in the last hearing resulted in amendments that replaced its clear, enforceable, and common sense standard for jet fuel remediation with a vague and practically unenforceable “as much as practicable” standard. This change, combined with the removal of a rebuttable presumption regarding the source of jet fuel surrounding an underground storage tank facility after a confirmed release, all but assures that the Navy will evade true accountability for the Red Hill catastrophe.

After having ignored years of public outcry, whistleblower complaints, and basic common sense prior to the 2021 catastrophe, the Navy must not be allowed to ignore the harms it has inflicted on our ʻāina and wai. There should be NO jet fuel in our precious and once-pure drinking water or in our environment, especially when it has been released by the reckless operation of a decrepit underground storage tank facility after years of objections by Hawaiʻi's residents. 

Please stand with the elected and agency officials of the Red Hill Water Alliance Initiative, the Oʻahu community, and all who care about our precious wai, and ensure that SB2046 SD1 moves forward with the clear and enforceable remediation standard and rebuttable presumption found in the original draft of this common sense measure. If overbreadth is a concern, I respectfully recommend including provisions that would limit this requirement to underground storage tank systems with a capacity of 1 million gallons or more.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony instructions

  1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (youʻll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email).

  2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

  3. Enter "SB2046" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

  4. Input your information, select “SUPPORT”, write or copy/paste your testimony. (No verbal testimony on this bill)

  5. Spread the word!

February 3 Update

SB2046, the “no jet fuel in water” bill, and SB2093, requiring the Fuel Tank Advisory Committee (FTAC) to meet more frequently, were both passed out of the Senate Health and Human Services and Agriculture and Environment Committees on February 2.

Bill Background & Info

Here we go! Critical Red Hill bill needs our support for a hearing on MONDAY - please submit written testimony ASAP (sample verbiage and testimony instructions below) and consider attending the hearing on Monday, February 2, at 3 pm in Hawaiʻi State Capitol Conference Room 224 or via Zoom (must submit written testimony to testify verbally - see below).

What this bills does

SB2046 would require the Navy to remediate all jet fuel-related contamination (including compounds created when jet fuel breaks down over time) from the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, to below-detectable levels (using the most sensitive detection technology available). 

Why this bill is important

There should be no jet fuel in our water. Period. After ignoring public demands, whistleblower complaints, and basic common sense for years leading up to the November 2021 Red Hill water crisis, the Navy must be held legally accountable to fully clean up the mess it created. Unfortunately, over four years later, the Navy has failed to make any meaningful investments in remediation efforts, assuring us that its jet fuel in our aquifer will go away "naturally" over the course of decades. SB2046 would make clear that we will not stand idly by as the Navy ignores the harms it has inflicted on our ʻāina and wai - and that of our children and grandchildren.

Sample testimony for SB2046 ("No Jet Fuel in Our Water")

Aloha Chair San Buenaventura, Chair Gabbard, Vice Chair McKelvey, Vice Chair Richards, and members of the Senate Health and Human Services and Agriculture and Environment Committees,

My name is [Your name] and I STRONGLY SUPPORT SB2046, which makes clear that any jet fuel released from an underground storage tank system - such as the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility - must be completely cleaned up.

Well over four years after the November 2021 Red Hill fuel spill, and nearly three years after the Red Hill Water Alliance Initiative called for the complete clean up of this contamination, the Navy has failed to make any meaningful efforts to remediate our island's sole source aquifer. After having ignored years of public outcry, whistleblower complaints, and basic common sense prior to the 2021 catastrophe, the Navy must not be allowed to now ignore the harms it has inflicted on our ʻāina and wai.  

This bill would establish an enforceable legal standard that will also be binding on the federal government: there should be NO jet fuel in our precious and once-pure drinking water or in our environment, especially when it has been released by the reckless operation of a decrepit underground storage tank facility after years of objections by Hawaiʻi's residents. 

I urge you to PASS SB2046.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony instructions

  1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (you’ll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email)

  2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

  3. Enter "SB2046" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

  4. Input your information and your written testimony, select your testimony option(s)—in-person + written, remotely + written, written only. Please consider providing verbal testimony (in-person or remotely) if you are able!

    Note: Virtual testimony option may be disabled 24 hours before the hearing.

  5. If you are testifying via Zoom, be sure to review these instructions (page 4)

  6. Spread the word!

SUPPORT HB1926 HD1: Protect Our Wai

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March 14 Update

HB1926 HD1 would provide funding for Red Hill remediation research, environmental monitoring, groundwater modeling, public education, and independent water testing and expert review of the Navy’s water data - all still critically needed to heal Oʻahu’s sole source aquifer and protect our future generations’ water security in the wake of the November 2021 Red Hill catastrophe. This measure is being heard on Monday, March 16, at 3:01pm in Capitol Conference Room 016 by the Senate Water, Land, Culture and the Arts and Public Safety and Military Affairs Committees (to be broadcast live on Youtube here).

Please take a moment to testify on this measure and to ask your friends and networks to do the same! Sample testimony and testimony instructions below.  

Sample Testimony for HB1926 HD1

Aloha Chair Lee, Chair Fukunaga, Vice Chair Inouye, and Committee Members,

My name is [your name], and I am writing in STRONG SUPPORT of HB1926 HD1.

In recent months, we have seen continued efforts by the Navy to evade public scrutiny and community accountability, regarding its monitoring and clean-up of the ʻāina and wai contaminated by its Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. This includes a refusal to explain countless “irregularities” in its water sampling and reporting, to report and properly maintain water samples, to answer questions posed at Fuel Tank Advisory Committee meetings, and most recently, to meet with the Red Hill Community Representation Initiative. Most concernedly, there also has been no meaningful investment in proactive remediation research that can actually clean the contamination within Oʻahu’s sole-source aquifer.  

Clearly, we need much greater state-level investments in remediation research, independent groundwater modeling and environmental testing, objective expert assessments of Navy water testing procedures and data analyses, and public engagement, to protect our children, grandchildren, and future generations from having to live with the constant threat of water insecurity and contamination. HB1926 HD1 would provide for these necessary investments, while making clear our expectation that the federal government will reimburse us for any expenses Hawaiʻi incurs in cleaning up the Navy’s mess.      

Accordingly, I respectfully urge you to PASS HB1926 HD1.

Mahalo nui for the opportunity to testify.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony instructions

  1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (youʻll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email).

  2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

  3. Enter "HB1926" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

  4. Input your information, select “SUPPORT”, write or copy/paste your testimony, and select your testimony option(s)—in-person + written, remotely + written, written only. Please consider providing verbal testimony (in-person or remotely) if you are able!

    Note: Virtual testimony option may be disabled 24 hours before the hearing.

  5. If you are testifying via Zoom, be sure to review these instructions (page 4).

  6. Spread the word!

March 4 Update

HB1926 HD1 was passed unamended by the House Finance Committee on March 3. This measure would provide funding for Red Hill remediation research, environmental monitoring, groundwater modeling, public education, and independent water testing and expert review of the Navy’s water data.⁠

Mahalo nui to the over 64 individuals and organizations who submitted testimony in support and special thanks to Chair Todd and Vice Chair Takenouchi for passing this measure.⁠

February 28 Update

HB1926 HD1 would provide funding for Red Hill remediation research, environmental monitoring, groundwater modeling, public education, and independent water testing and expert review of the Navy’s water data - all still critically needed to heal Oʻahu’s sole source aquifer and protect our future generations’ water security in the wake of the November 2021 Red Hill catastrophe. This measure is being heard on Tuesday, March 3, at 10am in Capitol Conference Room 308 by the House Finance Committee (to be broadcast live on Youtube here).

Sample Testimony for HB1926 HD1

Aloha Chair Todd, Vice Chair Takenouchi, and Committee Members,

My name is [your name], and I am writing in STRONG SUPPORT of HB1926 HD1.

In recent months, we have seen continued efforts by the Navy to evade public scrutiny and community accountability, regarding its monitoring and clean-up of the ʻāina and wai contaminated by its Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. This includes a refusal to explain countless “irregularities” in its water sampling and reporting, to properly maintain water samples needed to understand what may have poisoned its water system as well as Oʻahu’s sole source aquifer, to answer questions posed at Fuel Tank Advisory Committee meetings, and most recently, to meet with the Red Hill Community Representation Initiative. Most concernedly, there also has been no meaningful investment in proactive remediation research that can actually clean the contamination within Oʻahu’s sole-source aquifer.  

Clearly, we need much greater state-level investments in remediation research, independent groundwater modeling and environmental testing, objective expert assessments of Navy water testing procedures and data analyses, and public engagement, to protect our children, grandchildren and future generations from having to live with the constant threat of water insecurity and contamination. HB1926 HD1 would provide for these necessary investments, while making clear our expectation that the federal government will reimburse us for any expenses Hawaiʻi incurs in cleaning up the Navy’s mess.      

Accordingly, I respectfully urge you to PASS HB1926 HD1.

Mahalo nui for the opportunity to testify.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony Instructions

  1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (youʻll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email).

  2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

  3. Enter "HB1926" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

  4. Input your information, select “SUPPORT”, write or copy/paste your testimony, and select your testimony option(s)—in-person + written, remotely + written, written only. Please consider providing verbal testimony (in-person or remotely) if you are able!

    Note: Virtual testimony option may be disabled 24 hours before the hearing.

  5. If you are testifying via Zoom, be sure to review these instructions (page 4).

  6. Spread the word!

February 18 Update

HB1926 HD1 which provides unspecified funding for the Red Hill WAI Policy Coordinator office, was passed out of the House Energy & Environmental Protection Committee on February 17. 

Mahalo nui to the over 55 individuals and organizations who submitted testimony in support and special thanks to Chair Lowen and Vice Chair Perruso for passing this measure.

HB1673 HD1, which repeals the prohibition against placing landfills above the underground injection control line on Oʻahu enacted last year, was deferred by the House Energy & Environmental Protection Committee on February 19 and is essentially defeated for this session.

Thank you to the over 70 individuals and organizations who submitted testimony in opposition to defeated this amended measure.

Bill Background & Info

Tomorrow, Tuesday, February 17, two separate measures will be considered in the Hawaiʻi House and Senate that will jeopardize our future water security and provide key funding for the Red Hill WAI Policy Coordinator, to support the clean up of our ʻāina and wai contaminated by the US Navy’s Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. Please take a moment to testify on these bills - sample testimony and testimony instructions below!

First, at 9am in room 411, the House Energy & Environmental Protection Committee will hear HB1673 HD1, a bad bill that as currently drafted would repeal last year’s prohibition against the siting of landfills above drinking water aquifers on Oʻahu.  

During that same hearing, the Committee will also consider HB1926 HD1, which would provide unspecified funding for the Red Hill Water Alliance Initiative (WAI) Policy Coordinator’s office, to support its facilitation of the timely clean up of our ʻāina and wai contaminated by the Red Hill Underground Storage Tank Facility.

What these bills do

HB1673 HD1 repeals the prohibition against placing landfills above the underground injection control line on Oʻahu, a policy enacted last year to protect additional drinking water aquifers from catastrophic contamination. 

HB1926 HD1 provides unspecified funding for the Red Hill WAI Policy Coordinator office, including for public engagement, environmental monitoring, groundwater modeling, remediation research, and independent  water testing and expert review of the Navy’s water data.

Why these bills are important

In 2025, the Hawaiʻi Legislature made a much-needed policy call by prohibiting the siting of landfills above drinking water aquifers on the island of Oʻahu, given the inevitability of groundwater contamination from highly toxic landfill leachate whether in the near future, or decades from now. By repealing this prohibition, HB1673 HD1 is a dangerous bill that will risk creating another “Red Hill water crisis” for future generations, as city administrations and Honolulu Board of Water Supply chief engineers are pressured over time into allowing a new landfill to be located above a drinking water source – as was already attempted last year.  

Meanwhile, a lack of transparency and candor from the Navy, unexplained Navy water testing anomalies, hidden water samples, a lack of meaningful proactive remediation efforts by the Navy, and a growing unwillingness to hold the Navy accountable to public concerns by both the Hawaiʻi Department of Health and EPA make public engagement, independent remediation research, and objective expert assessments of the Navy’s Red Hill cleanup efforts absolutely critical if we wish to heal our poisoned wai and ʻāina. HB1926 HD1 is a hopeful measure that provides state funding to meet these critical needs, while making clear our expectation that the federal government must reimburse us for these expenses. 

Sample testimony for HB1673 HD1

Aloha Chair Lowen, Vice Chair Perruso, and Members of the Committee,

My name is [Name], and I am writing in strong opposition to HB1673 HD1.

The latest draft of this measure would needlessly remove a critical and common sense state-level protection against the placement of future landfills above drinking water aquifers on Oʻahu.  

As we continue to navigate the Red Hill water crisis, it is incumbent upon all of us to do what it takes to protect what water sources we have left from foreseeable future contamination, if we wish to do right by our islands and the future generations who will inhabit them long after we are gone. Accordingly, the legislature rightly passed a law last year to prevent the siting of landfills above Oʻahu’s drinking water aquifers, given the inevitability of a landfill’s highly toxic leachate eventually contaminating any underlying groundwater. Please do not roll back this critical protection by passing this measure as drafted.

While there may or may not now be an additional layer of protection provided by City’s recognition of the Honolulu Board of Water Supply’s “no-pass zone,” this is no reason for the legislature to abdicate its own responsibility to safeguard our precious wai, and that of our children, grandchildren, and future generations. As we saw just last year, the tremendous pressure that may be placed on current and future city administrations and current and future chief engineers of the Board of Water Supply could very well lead to city-level decisions to site a landfill above a drinking water aquifer, if this measure is passed. 

I respectfully urge you to HOLD HB1673 HD1.

Mahalo nui for the opportunity to testify.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Sample testimony for HB1926 HD1

Aloha Chair Lowen, Vice Chair Perruso, and Members of the Committee,

My name is [Name], and I am writing in SUPPORT of HB1926 HD1.

In recent months, we have seen continued efforts by the Navy to evade public scrutiny and community accountability, regarding its monitoring and clean-up of the ʻāina and wai contaminated by its Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. This includes a refusal to explain countless “irregularities” in its water sampling and reporting, to properly maintain water samples needed to understand what may have poisoned its water system as well as our aquifer, to answer questions posed at Fuel Tank Advisory Committee meetings, and most recently, to meet with the Red Hill Community Representation Initiative. Most concernedly, there also has been no meaningful investment in proactive remediation research that can actually clean the contamination within Oʻahu’s sole-source aquifer.  

Clearly, we need much greater state-level investments in remediation research, independent groundwater modeling and environmental testing, objective expert assessments of Navy water testing procedures and data analyses, and public engagement, to protect our children, grandchildren and future generations from having to live with the constant threat of water insecurity and contamination. HB1926 HD1 would provide for these necessary investments, while making clear our expectation that the federal government will reimburse us for any expenses Hawaiʻi incurs in cleaning up the Navy’s mess.      

Accordingly, I respectfully urge you to PASS HB1926 HD1.

Mahalo nui for the opportunity to testify.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony instructions

  1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (you’ll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email).

  2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

  3. Enter "HB1673" or “HB1926” where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

  4. Input your information, select “OPPOSE” for HB1673 and “SUPPORT” for HB1926, write or copy/paste your testimony, and select your testimony option(s)—in-person + written, remotely + written, written only. Please consider providing verbal testimony (in-person or remotely) if you are able! 

    Note: Virtual testimony option may be disabled 24 hours before the hearing.

  5. If you are testifying via Zoom, be sure to review these instructions (page 4).

  6. Spread the word!

SUPPORT SB2046 & SB2093: Red Hill Bills

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February 3 Update:

SB2046, the “no jet fuel in water” bill, and SB2093, requiring the Fuel Tank Advisory Committee (FTAC) to meet more frequently, were both passed out of the Senate Health and Human Services and Agriculture and Environment Committees on February 2. SB2093 was amended to ensure that at least one of the quarterly FTAC meetings occurs outside of work hours to ensure more public participation and accessibility.

Mahalo nui to the over 143 individuals and organizations who submitted testimony in support and special thanks to Chairs San Buenaventura and Gabbard and Vice Chairs McKelvey and Richards for passing this measure.

Bill Background & Info

Here we go! Two critical Red Hill bills need our support for a hearing on MONDAY - please submit written testimony ASAP (sample verbiage and testimony instructions below) and consider attending the hearing on Monday, February 2, at 3 pm in Hawaiʻi State Capitol Conference Room 224 or via Zoom (must submit written testimony to testify verbally - see below).

What these bills do:

SB2046 would require the Navy to remediate all jet fuel-related contamination (including compounds created when jet fuel breaks down over time) from the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, to below-detectable levels (using the most sensitive detection technology available). 

SB2093 would require the Fuel Tank Advisory Committee to meet once per quarter, rather than only twice a year, ensuring greater public access, transparency, and accountability in governmental responses to the ongoing Red Hill water crisis.

Why these bills are important:

There should be no jet fuel in our water. Period. After ignoring public demands, whistleblower complaints, and basic common sense for years leading up to the November 2021 Red Hill water crisis, the Navy must be held legally accountable to fully clean up the mess it created. Unfortunately, over four years later, the Navy has failed to make any meaningful investments in remediation efforts, assuring us that its jet fuel in our aquifer will go away "naturally" over the course of decades. SB2046 would make clear that we will not stand idly by as the Navy ignores the harms it has inflicted on our ʻāina and wai - and that of our children and grandchildren.

The Fuel Tank Advisory Committee (FTAC) has significant potential to accelerate Red Hill response efforts, and to ensure that all relevant parties - including government agencies, elected officials, and the Navy itself - hear from each other and the public, and openly discuss their ongoing efforts as well as community questions and concerns in real time. However, FTAC only meets twice a year, leading to overstuffed agendas, limited discussions, and truncated testimonies.  By increasing the frequency of FTAC's meetings, SB2093 will ensure much greater transparency, accountability, and action in the governmental response to the ongoing Red Hill water crisis.

Sample testimony for SB2046 ("No Jet Fuel in Our Water")

Aloha Chair San Buenaventura, Chair Gabbard, Vice Chair McKelvey, Vice Chair Richards, and members of the Senate Health and Human Services and Agriculture and Environment Committees,

My name is [Your name] and I STRONGLY SUPPORT SB2046, which makes clear that any jet fuel released from an underground storage tank system - such as the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility - must be completely cleaned up.

Well over four years after the November 2021 Red Hill fuel spill, and nearly three years after the Red Hill Water Alliance Initiative called for the complete clean up of this contamination, the Navy has failed to make any meaningful efforts to remediate our island's sole source aquifer. After having ignored years of public outcry, whistleblower complaints, and basic common sense prior to the 2021 catastrophe, the Navy must not be allowed to now ignore the harms it has inflicted on our ʻāina and wai.  

This bill would establish an enforceable legal standard that will also be binding on the federal government: there should be NO jet fuel in our precious and once-pure drinking water or in our environment, especially when it has been released by the reckless operation of a decrepit underground storage tank facility after years of objections by Hawaiʻi's residents. 

I urge you to PASS SB2046.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Sample testimony for SB2093 (Transparency and Accountability in Red Hill Response)

Aloha Chair San Buenaventura, Chair Gabbard, Vice Chair McKelvey, Vice Chair Richards, and members of the Senate Health and Human Services and Agriculture and Environment Committees,

My name is [Your name] and I STRONGLY SUPPORT SB2093, which will help the Fuel Tank Advisory Committee (FTAC) realize its potential in navigating our Red Hill water crisis through greater public transparency and accountability.

With government regulators, state and federal elected officials, Navy leaders, and community representatives among its members, FTAC has tremendous potential in identifying and addressing the myriad issues and community concerns surrounding our Red Hill water crisis. However, by meeting only twice a year, FTAC's potential has been squandered. Performative presentations in hours-long meetings that occur only once every six months simply do not allow for the timely updates, robust conversation, and public testimonies and questions that are essential to ensuring our future water security and the safety of present and future generations.

By requiring FTAC to meet at least once a quarter, this measure will ensure that FTAC is able to more meaningfully address our ongoing and evolving water crisis, including through timely updates, public access, transparency, and community accountability for FTAC and its members.

I urge you to PASS SB2093.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony instructions

  1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (you’ll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email)

  2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

  3. Enter "SB2046" or "SB2093" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

  4. Input your information and your written testimony, select your testimony option(s)—in-person + written, remotely + written, written only. Please consider providing verbal testimony (in-person or remotely) if you are able!

    Note: Virtual testimony option may be disabled 24 hours before the hearing.

  5. If you are testifying via Zoom, be sure to review these instructions (page 4)

  6. Spread the word!