Chiefs and orators of Aua village made it known to the Commander of the US Army Corps of Engineers from Honolulu that they want their village lands cleaned of leftover fuel from when the Navy had fuel tanks in Aua.
Yesterday morning the Aua village Council held an ava ceremony for the Commander of the US Army Corps of Engineers, Lt. Colonel James Hoyman and a team of seven, from the Corps of Engineers.
The American Samoa Power Authority has said that because of the seepage of oil in the ground at the site where the naval tanks used to be, any infrastructure or utility projects in the area, would require a lot more funding.
ASPA has asked that the Department of Defense provide funding assistance to mitigate the contamination.
But the US Army Corps has said there’s no evidence to prove ASPA’s position.
At the ava ceremony yesterday, leaders of Aua said they are anxious to have their lands cleaned up and appealed to the US Army Corps for help.
Lt. Col. Hoyman who became the Commander of the Honolulu District in July of last year, says his first trip to the territory is at the request of Congresswoman Aumua Amata.
Play AudioLt. Colonel Hoyman
The Lt Colonel isiad part of their visit is to scope for property to be used for military training.
Play Audio Army lands in AS
Environmental Branch Chief, Dan A Nakamura, said that they have met a few times with the local Environmental Protection Agency and the American Samoa Power Authority (ASPA) in regards to funding assistance for the Aua project.
They are working with the Historical Preservation Office and hoping to collect strong evidence to support funding assistance for remediation.
Nakamura said they recognize how critical planned infrastructure projects are for Aua village and are doing their best.
In the meantime, the US Army Corps is recommending to ASPA and the ASEPA to go through the proper channels through the Department of Defense for possible funding.
