Twelve prominent activists from around the country send letter to Biden on PFAS contamination from military bases

October 21, 2021

The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
President of the United States
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,
NW Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Biden:

On behalf of Defense communities devastated by PFAS pollution from Defense Department installations, we write to share our deep disappointment with the “fact sheet” you released Monday on the Biden-Harris Administration’s Plan to Combat PFAS Pollution.

We know from personal experience that the Defense Department is not “moving swiftly” to address PFAS pollution in our communities. PFAS has been confirmed in the groundwater at nearly 400 military installations, but the uncontrolled toxic plumes flowing from these bases have not been cleaned up. Rather than “moving swiftly” to address PFAS pollution, the DOD has knowingly poisoned our water for 50 years. DOD first learned of the risks of PFAS in the 1970s but failed to alert service members until 2011 and has only ended the use of fire-fighting foam made with PFAS because of Congressional action.

While we recognize that your EPA Administrator has taken the first steps to address PFAS pollution, your Defense Secretary has failed to make the PFAS pollution in our communities a priority. In fact, Secretary Austin asked for less funding to clean up military installations in the FY 2022 Budget Request. According to DOD’s own records and testimony, PFAS clean up at most bases remains in the earliest stages and could take more than 30 years to complete.

Mr. President, our defense communities deserve far better than DOD’s five-decade long failure to protect us from these toxic forever chemicals. Until recently, our service members were provided some of the most contaminated water in the nation. Our drinking water continues to be threatened, and many of our communities have been forced to rely on bottled water. You can imagine our disappointment when we saw a “fact sheet” that papers over the DOD’s misplaced priorities.

Sincerely,

Andrea Amico Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Stel Bailey Cocoa Beach, Florida
Cheryl Cali Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Pat Elder St. Mary’s City, MD
Mark Favors Colorado Springs, Colorado
Hope Grosse Warminster, Pennsylvania
Edward Lawson Newburgh, New York
KristenMello Westfield, Massachusetts
Susan Phelan West Barnstable, Massachusetts
Linda Robles Tucson, Arizona
Anthony Spaniola Oscoda, Michigan
Joanne Stanton Warminster, Pennsylvania