WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D, NY) has introduced legislation directing the Department of Defense to identify and clean up PFAS at U.S. military installations with some of the highest detections across the country.
The Stewart Air National Guard Base is among those on the list where the chemical, used in firefighting foam, has contaminated the City of Newburgh’s drinking water supply.
“The Filthy Fifty Act” would help expedite the testing, cleanup, removal, and remediation of PFAS at all U.S. military installations and state-owned National Guard facilities by setting testing and cleanup deadlines for PFAS remediation at the most contaminated Department of Defense sites in the country. The bill establishes a list of priority installations with 50 bases in the country that have among the highest detections of PFAS.
The “Clean Water for Military Families Act” would require the Department of Defense to conduct investigations and remediate PFAS contamination at and surrounding DOD installations in the U.S. and state-owned National Guard facilities.
The bill would authorize a one-time, $10 billion infusion for the investigation and clean-up to ensure military families have access to clean, pollutant-free drinking water.
