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        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall addresses an audience during a visit to the Maui Space Surveillance Complex in Haleakalā, Hawaii, Feb. 22, 2023. Kendall’s visit reaffirmed the department’s commitment to comprehensively address the damage caused after approximately 700 gallons of fuel were released from an on-site backup generator Jan. 29, 2023, contaminating Haleakalā's environmentally sensitive and culturally important summit. (Courtesy photo)Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall addresses an audience during a visit to the Maui Space Surveillance Complex in Haleakalā, Hawaii, Feb. 22, 2023. Kendall’s visit reaffirmed the department’s commitment to comprehensively address the damage caused after approximately 700 gallons of fuel were released from an on-site backup generator Jan. 29, 2023, contaminating Haleakalā's environmentally sensitive and culturally important summit. (Courtesy photo)
                
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        230221-F-IP756-1142A contractor sets a red marker indicating there is an electrical line underground at the location near the Maui Space Surveillance Complex on the island of Maui, Hawaii, Feb. 21, 2023. Contractors used a variety of equipment to identify and map utility pipes and wires under the ground to ensure excavation of the contaminated soil is consistent with legal requirements and sensitive to local and cultural imperatives. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jimmie D. Pike)
                
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SecAF Kendall visits Maui Space Surveillance Complex fuel spillPublished Feb. 23, 2023
                    
                    By Staff Sgt. Nick Z. Erwin
                    
                    
                    Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
            **ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) --**Secretary of the Air Force **Frank Kendall** met with elected officials and a representative of local advocacy groups at the Maui Space Surveillance Complex during a visit to Haleakalā, Hawaii, Feb. 22.

Kendall’s visit reaffirmed the department’s commitment to comprehensively address the damage caused after approximately 700 gallons of fuel were released from an on-site backup generator Jan. 29, contaminating Haleakalā's environmentally sensitive and culturally important summit.

“Our ongoing response to this fuel spill is a top priority,” Kendall explained. "We acknowledge this incident hurt the environment, it harmed our reputation, and calls into question the trust placed in us by our local communities.”

“Restoring the land and the public’s trust will take deliberate, consistent action,” Kendall said. “We’ve built a strong team that is drafting a restoration plan in coordination with federal and state agencies and addressing the failure that took us to this point.”Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall tours the Maui Space Surveillance Complex with Leo Caires, County of Maui chief of staff, Richard Chong, 15th Space Surveillance Squadron deputy chief, and Dane Maxwell, 15th Space Surveillance Squadron cultural advisor, during a visit to Haleakalā, Hawaii, Feb. 22, 2023. Kendall’s visit reaffirmed the department’s commitment to comprehensively address the damage caused after approximately 700 gallons of fuel were released from an on-site backup generator Jan. 29, contaminating Haleakalā's environmentally sensitive and culturally important summit. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jimmie D. Pike)Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall tours the Maui Space Surveillance Complex with Leo Caires, County of Maui chief of staff, Richard Chong, 15th Space Surveillance Squadron deputy chief, and Dane Maxwell, 15th Space Surveillance Squadron cultural advisor, during a visit to Haleakalā, Hawaii, Feb. 22, 2023. Kendall’s visit reaffirmed the department’s commitment to comprehensively address the damage caused after approximately 700 gallons of fuel were released from an on-site backup generator Jan. 29, contaminating Haleakalā's environmentally sensitive and culturally important summit. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jimmie D. Pike)
            
            
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    Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall talks with Dane Maxwell, 15th Space Surveillance Squadron cultural advisor, during a tour of the Maui Space Surveillance Complex at Haleakalā, Hawaii, Feb. 22, 2023. Kendall’s visit reaffirmed the department’s commitment to comprehensively address the damage caused after approximately 700 gallons of fuel were released from an on-site backup generator Jan. 29, 2023, contaminating Haleakalā's environmentally sensitive and culturally important summit. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jimmie D. Pike)Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall talks with Dane Maxwell, 15th Space Surveillance Squadron cultural advisor, during a tour of the Maui Space Surveillance Complex at Haleakalā, Hawaii, Feb. 22, 2023. Kendall’s visit reaffirmed the department’s commitment to comprehensively address the damage caused after approximately 700 gallons of fuel were released from an on-site backup generator Jan. 29, 2023, contaminating Haleakalā's environmentally sensitive and culturally important summit. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jimmie D. Pike)
            
            
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    Brig. Gen. Anthony Mastalir, Space Forces Indo-Pacific commander, addresses the audience during Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall's visit to Haleakalā, Hawaii, Feb. 22, 2023. Kendall’s visit reaffirmed the department’s commitment to comprehensively address the damage caused after approximately 700 gallons of fuel were released from an on-site backup generator Jan. 29, contaminating Haleakalā's environmentally sensitive and culturally important summit. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jimmie D. Pike)Brig. Gen. Anthony Mastalir, Space Forces Indo-Pacific commander, addresses the audience during Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall's visit to Haleakalā, Hawaii, Feb. 22, 2023. Kendall’s visit reaffirmed the department’s commitment to comprehensively address the damage caused after approximately 700 gallons of fuel were released from an on-site backup generator Jan. 29, contaminating Haleakalā's environmentally sensitive and culturally important summit. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jimmie D. Pike)
            
            
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“Industry standard remediation processes and protocols are not sufficient for this sacred ground,” said **Brig. Gen. Anthony Mastalir**, U.S. Space Forces Indo-Pacific commander. “We must go above and beyond what would otherwise be deemed acceptable, and that is what we are doing.”

An equipment malfunction caused by a lightning strike at the Maui Space Surveillance Complex caused the release. Fuel spill experts from the **Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center** are managing remediation efforts in partnership with local advisors.

“While we have fallen short of our own expectations as stewards of this sacred place, I am fully optimistic we will be successful in restoring the land — keeping our partners informed while restoring the trust with our community partners,” Kendall said.LR 



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