"HONOLULU — After initially resisting, the U.S. Navy will comply with Hawaii’s order to remove fuel from a massive underground storage tank facility near Pearl Harbor blamed for contaminating drinking water, officials said Tuesday.

The Navy is making preparations to defuel the facility, Rear Adm. Blake Converse said during a U.S. House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness hearing.

“The Navy caused this problem, we own it and we’re gonna fix it,” said Converse, deputy commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

Hawaii’s governor said he expected the Navy to immediately comply with the state’s order and address the threat the tank facility poses to the environment and the well-being of the state’s military families and residents. "

Jennifer Sinco Kelleher and Audrey McAvoy report for the Associated Press January 12, 2022. [2]