Latest news with #AlexxMercer
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New Mexico files new lawsuit against US Air Force over PFAS contamination
Firefighters with the 27th Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron test hose water pressure before an exercise Aug. 14, 2015, at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M. In January, New Mexico environment officials cited the base for a spill of wastewater containing firefighting foam with PFAS which soaked into the aquifer after a retaining pond leaked. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Alexx Mercer) The New Mexico environment and Department of Justice on Monday announced a new lawsuit against the U.S. Department of the Air Force seeking redress for PFAS contamination at Cannon Air Force Base near Clovis. Specifically, as delineated in a news release, the suit aims to order the Air Force to: end all use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam at Cannon for anything other than emergency purposes provide water treatment systems to residents whose water has been affected by PFAS contamination install drinking water lines for any willing residents currently serviced by private wells in the spill area hold regular public meetings with the community install stormwater controls and retention basins to prevent offsite migration of PFAS from contaminated media evaluate nearby private property affected by PFAS contamination compensate the owners of such property for losses resulting from PFAS contamination Per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances – aka PFAS – are a class of thousands of manmade chemicals used in waterproofing. They are in everyday items such as cookware or takeout containers and also in fire-fighting foams for aircraft. But the chemicals' resistance to breaking down from exposure to water, heat and sunlight mean that they are accumulating in the soil and water and in the bodies of animals and people. Health officials have linked PFAS to health risks such as decreased fertility, immune system damage, lower vaccine effectiveness and increased cancer risks. In January, New Mexico environment officials issued a nearly $68,000-dollar fine to the Cannon U.S. Air Force Base Tuesday, stating the military had failed to immediately report a 4,000-gallon spill of PFAS into the groundwater in August. Cannon appealed the fine in February. The new lawsuit follows the enactment of House Bill 140 following the most recent legislative session, which expanded the state's authority to require cleanup of PFAS. Specifically, New Mexico has argued PFAS was subject to regulation under the Hazardous Waste Act since 2019, but the Air Force disagreed and sued NMED over the issue. HB 140 explicitly designates discarded firefighting foams containing PFAS chemicals as hazardous waste. 'After years of contesting responsibility, today's lawsuit puts every one of the Air Force's excuses to rest,'Environment Department Secretary James Kenney said in a statement regarding the new lawsuit. 'The Air Force has spent years contesting the Environment Department's authority as opposed to any meaningful cleanup of the toxic PFAS contamination in local drinking water sources that serve both residents and dairy farmers.' Battle between New Mexico and US Air Force to track toxic chemicals drags on In 2018, outflows from Cannon AFB contaminated water sources with PFAS in 2018 and caused dairy farmers to euthanize thousands of cows. 'PFAS contamination poses a serious and long-term threat to our environment and our communities,' Attorney General Raúl Torrez said in a statement. 'We are committed to using every legal tool available to hold the federal government accountable for the damage done on the base and the surrounding community and to prevent further harm from these dangerous 'forever chemicals.' New Mexicans deserve clean water, safe soil, and a future free from toxic exposure—and we won't stop fighting until they get it.'
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Cannon appeals NMED fine over PFAS spill
Firefighters with the 27th Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron test hose water pressure before an exercise Aug. 14, 2015, at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M. In January, New Mexico environment officials cited the base for a spill of wastewater containing firefighting foam with PFAS which soaked into the aquifer after a retaining pond leaked. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Alexx Mercer) Cannon Air Force Base outside of Clovis is seeking a hearing to appeal a fine issued in January from New Mexico environmental officials for a 4,000-gallon PFAS spill last August. When the New Mexico Environment Department issued the nearly $68,000 fine, it said the military had violated pollution limits and failed to tell authorities about a spill into surrounding groundwater from a damaged retention pond last year. The state agency further alleged the U.S. Air Force violations included waiting nearly 16 days to notify state officials, instead of reporting the spill within 24 hours of discovery. New Mexico environment officials say Cannon Air Force Base owes $67,000 for August PFAS spill Per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances — called PFAS — are a class of thousands of manmade chemicals. The chemicals are used in everyday items like cookware or in waterproofing, but also are a component of certain firefighting foams. Health studies have linked PFAS to decreased fertility, fetal development issues, immune system damage, lower vaccine effectiveness and increased cancer risks. Officials from Cannon wrote a letter and filed an official response denying the allegations and seeking an administrative hearing on Feb. 6, just before the 30-day deadline to seek an appeal. 'We have continued to provide information to NMED as it becomes relevant despite the ongoing litigation over these issues in the federal court system,' wrote Colonel Robert L. Johnston in a letter with the appeal. 'We respectfully disagree with these cited violations.' The most recent spill is separate from the 4-mile long PFAS plume from firefighting foams that seeped into the groundwater over the decades of use on base. That plume resulted in the euthanization of more than 3,500 dairy cows after they were found to be contaminated with PFAS. NMED started blood testing people in Clovis last year since drinking water wells have also been contaminated. The New Mexico Environment Department is currently involved in two separate lawsuits over the U.S. military's release of PFAS on at least two bases in New Mexico. New Mexico is part of multidistrict litigation before a federal judge in South Carolina, joining tens of thousands of plaintiffs seeking damages from the federal government's use of PFAS laden firefighting foams on bases across the country. The second, in federal district court of New Mexico, the U.S. Department of Defense sued the NMED, challenging the state's authority to mandate the cleanup of PFAS on the base. Animals and plants outside of a different spill in Lake Holloman outside of Alamogordo were found to have the highest level of PFAS so far recorded in the world. State lawmakers are currently considering two bills to address cleanup and PFAS. House Bill 212, which aims to phase out products with intentionally added PFAS, passed its first committee on a 6-4 party line vote and now heads to House Judiciary. House Bill 140 shores up hazardous waste powers held by the state and passed both committees in the House, and now heads to the floor for a full House vote. If approved, the bill would still need to pass the committee process and a full Senate vote to become law. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
