Wyden, Merkley Demand Trump Administration Cleanup Toxic Waste to Protect Military Families and Local Communities
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they have joined their colleagues in urging the Trump administration to reverse its decision delaying cleanups of toxic chemicals at hundreds of military installations in Oregon and nationwide.
The senators also sought protections for military families and nearby communities from contamination by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at the affected sites.
“For years, communities contaminated by PFAS from nearby DOD installations in our states have waited for the DOD to take action. We request that the Department reverse its decision, return to the previous timetable released in December 2024, and accelerate efforts to remediate confirmed PFAS contamination,” the senators wrote in their letter to Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
PFAS chemicals are widespread and found at industrial sites and around many U.S. military installations. PFAS exposure is linked to major health problems, including various cancers, reduced immune function, reproductive challenges, birth defects, thyroid issues, and more. The use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam at Department of Defense (DOD) facilities, and related stormwater runoff, is a significant source of drinking water pollution. This contamination poses a serious health threat to service members, their families, and nearby communities.
At least 700 military sites in the United States are known or suspected to have PFAS contamination from DOD activities. DOD’s delayed timeline would push back cleanup at 150 of these locations, by nearly a decade at some.
In total, these four military installations in Oregon are likely to be affected by DOD’s decision, as they are being assessed for PFAS use and release:
- McNary Field Salam Army Aviation Support Facility
- Camp Rilea
- Pendleton Complex Armory Army Aviation Support Facility
- Umatilla Chemical Depot
Alongside Wyden and Merkley, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., led the letter and was joined by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senators Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., John Fetterman, D-Pa., Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Andy Kim, D-N.J., Angus King, I-Maine, Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Gary Peters, D-Mich., Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.
The full letter is here.
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