Access to abundant, clean water is a fundamental human right that should not be a political bargaining chip. This basic principle requires that decisions about how water is managed and distributed be outside the reach of politics and politicians.

The Honolulu Board of Water Supply was intentionally set up to ensure that all people, no matter who they are, have access to clean drinking water. As a result, the Board of Water Supply, especially its managing engineer, Ernie Lau, has been a reliable protector of the public’s best interests.

Sadly, the state’s Water Commission is not similarly structured or protected from political influence. I learned this first-hand advocating for the Commission to hold the Navy accountable for the Red Hill water crisis.

In 2021, my family and I, along with 93,000 other people, were poisoned when the Navy allowed thousands of gallons of fuel to leak from the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility into Oahu’s primary drinking water aquifer. We suffered dearly for the Navy’s negligence and continue to suffer to this day. We wanted the Navy to be held accountable for the harm it caused, and we turned to the state’s Water Commission for help.

I remain committed to making sure that this type of harm never happens again to anyone, especially on Oahu. Unfortunately, we are not at that point, as the Navy waterline continues to deliver water contaminated with total petroleum hydrocarbons. There has not been a single month that has passed that I have not personally had new families come forward reporting issues with their water and symptoms related to being exposed.

The five volunteer members of the Water Commission had spoken in strong support of taking swift meaningful action to better protect the future of Oahu’s water and hold the Navy accountable for the damage. They considered declaring a water shortage and fining the Navy for taking more water than allowed by their permits, among other actions. Unfortunately, after two years of deliberation, their efforts were blocked. The state attorney general at the time said the Water Commission did not have the authority to issue meaningful penalties or declare a water shortage.

Frustrated and outraged, I and many families affected by the Red Hill water crisis went to the state Legislature over the past year to advocate for two bills: one to increase the ceiling on penalties the Commission could impose on violators of the Water Code; the other to authorize the Commission to declare an emergency when there is a sudden shortage in water.

We greatly appreciated the support from the Green administration, the Attorney General’s Office, and the Water Commission through the 2023 legislative session for the bills.

And then, in a shocking about-face, when it came time to sign these two bills into law, Gov. Josh Green vetoed them both with no explanation beyond that these bills are not needed. This disturbing flipflop made me and many others feel like the state’s water policy is being passed around like a toy.

This has to stop. Water is too precious to be a political bargaining chip. That is why I strongly support the passage of House Bill 2690. This bill includes the same language from last year for stricter penalties and emergency powers, and takes additional steps to strengthen the Water Commission to better insulate it from outside political influence. This bill converts the deputy director to an executive director, allows the Commission to use independent legal counsel, and would have the Commission chair be elected by its members.

Please do not let the suffering of the families harmed by the Red Hill water crisis be in vain. Let this be the last time we have to learn the lesson that water is life. There is only one aquifer, and we need to be sure that we protect it at all costs for generations to come.

Jamie Simic is an affected family member of Red Hill.