{"id":999,"date":"2021-07-07T23:31:23","date_gmt":"2021-07-07T23:31:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/groundwater-war\/?p=999"},"modified":"2021-07-08T16:44:22","modified_gmt":"2021-07-08T16:44:22","slug":"in-the-battle-to-regulate-pfas-states-take-the-lead-as-military-industries-play-defense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/groundwater-war\/2021\/07\/07\/in-the-battle-to-regulate-pfas-states-take-the-lead-as-military-industries-play-defense\/","title":{"rendered":"In the battle to regulate PFAS, states take the lead as military, industries play defense"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"NMPBS\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"Frontline\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"Stories\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n

Stories<\/a><\/h2>\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"Timeline\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n

Timeline<\/a><\/h2>\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"PFAS\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n

PFAS Map<\/a><\/h2>\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"PFAS\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n

PFAS FAQ<\/a><\/h2>\t\t\n

\n\t\tIn the battle to regulate PFAS, states take the lead as military, industries play defense \n\t<\/h1>\n\t

Laura Paskus<\/p>\n\n\t

Recently, the U.S. Air Force announced a $16.6 million contract<\/a> to AECOM\/Brice for a pilot project at Cannon Air Force Base. The plan is to install a water treatment system at the southeastern corner of the base to “pump and treat” water for PFOS and PFOA, two types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that have contaminated groundwater.<\/p>\n

According to Christipher Gierke, remedial project manager with the U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center, if all goes according to plan, construction will begin early next year and the project will be online in 2023.<\/p>\n

Water treated on the base will be reinjected into the aquifer, he said. As for what happens to the toxic substances themselves, that’s not clear at this point.<\/p>\n

“As far as the disposal of used filtration equipment, that will depend on where we’re at in the regulatory process down the road because things are changing,” Gierke said. “So as new guidelines come out, that will affect how we handle that waste that’s generated at that time.” He added that the Air Force will “strictly follow” whatever regulations are at that time.<\/p>\n

The current lack of federal regulations, even for PFAS in drinking water, is a major sticking point between the military and states like New Mexico, which are trying to compel the military to clean up the toxic substances.<\/p>\n

In a separate conversation<\/a>, New Mexico Environment Department Secretary James Kenney spoke about the state’s efforts to understand the extent of the groundwater contamination at places like Cannon and Holloman Air Force bases and hold the military responsible for its cleanup.<\/p>\n

“The pilot project that I understand Cannon is undertaking is a system that will prevent PFAS-contaminated groundwater from migrating off base,” said Kenney, whose office learned of the Air Force’s plans only after they had been publicly announced. “In terms of a larger delineation and cleanup of the area, the Air Force hasn’t been in contact with us to talk about that.”<\/p>\n

New Mexico’s environmental regulators learned from the Air Force in 2018 that it had contaminated local waters with PFAS from firefighting foams used at Cannon and Holloman. Since that time, the U.S. Department of Defense has sued New Mexico for trying to mandate that the military clean up the pollution under its state permits. That lawsuit is ongoing-and in June, the Biden administration’s DOD called New Mexico’s attempts to compel cleanup under one of the military’s permits “arbitrary and capricious.”<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Kenney is also asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for help, and in particular, to set a federal pollution standard for the toxic substances. As Kenney said, “New Mexicans should not have to fight to clean up contaminated groundwater.”<\/p>\n

You can watch the recent segment with Gierke and Kenney<\/a> or watch their full interviews separately. Those interviews are available on NMPBS<\/a> and on the video page of Groundwater War<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t