Posted on: Monday, February 24, 2003

EDITORIAL
Investigation needed in Midway fuel spill

The potential damage from a spill of tens of thousands of gallons of jet fuel on Midway Atoll is incalculable, and very nearly unforgivable. It is essential that an investigation by an independent, non-governmental body proceed quickly to fix blame.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which operates Midway as a national wildlife refuge, about 82,680 gallons of fuel leaked into coral sand surrounding a corroded fitting on a fuel line.

Former operators of the Midway fuel farm said they had warned Fish and Wildlife about problems with rusting pipes, reports Advertiser environmental writer Jan TenBruggencate. They said the leak could have been detected and contained earlier by keeping closer watch on the tank levels.

There simply isn't room in an atoll environment for this kind of despoliation, and this fact was well-known to anyone operating a fuel facility on Midway. Such an accident must not be allowed to recur, and the best form of prevention is a thorough understanding and accounting of how this spill was allowed to happen.