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HONOLULU>> Hawaii has formally asked the federal government for aid in responding to a spill of 1,400 tons of molasses into Honolulu Harbor.
U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz says the funding will be made available from a U.S. Coast Guard fund.
Schatz says he is grateful to federal agencies for moving quickly to provide resources and support to the state.
The funds are used to reimburse the state for what it spends to clean up the spill.
The spill was caused by Matson Navigation Co. A senior executive for the shipping company says it hadn’t planned ahead of time for the possibility of a spill.
Crews have collected about 2,000 dead fish near the harbor.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is sending two spill experts to Hawaii on Sunday.
