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Whitmer asks Air Force to raise PFAS standards

OSCODA, Mich.– Governor Whitmer has called the Air Force to the bargaining table.

In a letter to the Secretary of Defense on March 31, Governor Whitmer invoked Section 332 of the National Defense Authorization Act. The section allows governors to call on government agencies to amend their cooperative agreements.

Attorney Oday Salim explains how it works.

“It [the bill] says if there’s a state cleanup standard for PFAS- especially if that standard is more protective than the Federal one, which it is- then it’s that state standard that would apply to the Air Force or any other agency.”

Many in Oscoda feel the Air Force has dragged its feet cleaning the area around Wurtsmith Air Force base. The state discovered PFAS leeching into the groundwater in 2010. Animals and fish caught near the area are unsafe for consumption.

Anthony Spaniola, an attorney and water activist, says his family has been limited to one tap in their Oscoda home.

“The state of Michigan has provided with the option of bottled water or a reverse osmosis filtration system for one sink in the home. And so that’s what we’re operating under at this time. Imagine being able to use only one sink or one tap in your house.”

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS for short, are chemicals the Air Force once used in firefighting foam. PFAS take a long time to break down and can remain in the environment for decades. Many researchers are concerned about their potential health effects on the human body.