HONOLULU — Septe,ber 16, 2013 — Hawaii U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz says more than just a pipe failed when 1,400 tons of molasses spilled into Honolulu Harbor last week, killing thousands of fish.
Schatz says it’s clear lawmakers have to look at how the system run by shipping company Matson Navigation Co. is regulated by federal and state officials.
‘‘I don’t think there’s any doubt that that’s one of the things that we’re going to have to take a look at,’’ Schatz told The Associated Press when asked about Matson’s lack of a spill plan and oversight of the underground pipes connected to Hawaii’s waters.
Some 233,000 gallons of molasses spilled from a leaky pipe Sept. 9 as the sugary substance was moved from storage tanks to ships sailing to California. It happened in an industrial area west of downtown where Matson loads molasses and other goods for shipping. The company has said it doesn’t normally use that section of pipe.
State and federal agencies appear to have little role in maintaining the underground pipes, state officials said last week.
Read the full story by the Associated Press at The Boston Globe