Joint House committees adopt resolutions urging DoD to reassess PFAS cleanup decisions

The joint committees on Public Safety and Water and Land voted April 8, 2026, to adopt HCR 200 and HR 190, resolutions urging the U.S. Department of Defense to reassess prior determinations and closure decisions under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) in light of evolving scientific understanding of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and recent federal hazardous-substance designations.

Ernie Lau of the Honolulu Board of Water Supply testified in support, saying, “Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS … There are over 15,000 of these chemicals as created in the like the ’40s and ’50s, and a lot of it’s still in use.” Lau described widespread historical uses by the military, including firefighting foams, and urged the committees to press for renewed sampling at sites previously considered closed. He identified a former Navy laundry near St. Elizabeth Church and preschool, noting an existing unsealed monitoring well he said could be sampled for PFAS at low additional cost.

Lau told members the military’s documented use of PFAS-containing materials makes installations a plausible source when PFOS and PFOA are detected nearby. He said the Navy has installed a temporary treatment system to remove PFAS and other contaminants from water at the Navy’s Halawa Shaft, and that the Board had requested the Navy, EPA and the state Department of Health sample an existing monitor well near the closed laundry. According to Lau’s testimony, the Navy declined that request, citing the monitor well’s distance from the Red Hill facility.

During questioning, members asked how investigators can determine sources of PFAS given the chemicals’ presence in consumer products; Lau said attribution is difficult but that detections on or adjacent to military property increase the likelihood of a military source and that targeted sampling of existing wells is a practical next step. He also referenced a recent EPA/HHS announcement identifying candidate contaminants for expanded nationwide sampling and reiterated that EPA and prior administrations have focused on PFOA and PFOS, noting a four-parts-per-trillion threshold cited in his testimony.

The chair recommended passing both measures without technical amendments. The committee vote, recorded by voice, showed the chair and Vice Chair Yoemoto voting “aye,” followed by Representatives Eliason, Ichiyama, Mark Nakashima, Poepoe, Shimizu and Souza voting yes; Representative Woodson was excused. The measures were adopted and the hearing was adjourned.

The resolutions urge the Department of Defense to reexamine prior CERCLA closure and determination decisions for sites potentially affected by PFAS and to consider sampling and monitoring actions where prior remediation or closure may not have included PFAS testing. The committees did not adopt amendments and did not set a follow-up date during the session; next procedural steps would be determined by legislative scheduling and any responses from federal agencies.

Sources: Testimony and questioning at the joint House committees on Public Safety and Water and Land hearing, April 8, 2026. Direct quotes and claims attributed to Ernie Lau, Honolulu Board of Water Supply.