Slotkin Statement on New PFAS Cleanup Actions in Oscoda

LANSING, Mich. – U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (MI-07) released the following statement following the Department of Defense’s announcement last night that it will install groundwater treatment systems at two new sites in Oscoda, Michigan:

“For far too long, Oscoda and surrounding communities have lived with the impact of PFAS contamination created by the Department of Defense. The actions announced last night – adding groundwater treatment systems at two new sites – are a positive step forward, even with much more work to do. Last month, I met with Under Secretary LaPlante from DoD to urge specific, concrete, remedial actions at four sites, as recommended by leaders in Oscoda – and last week followed it up with a letter. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I will continue to work with community members and my colleagues in Congress to press the Pentagon to quickly implement the actions announced last night and adopt additional protections for the community.”

“This is an important – and long overdue – step for Wurtsmith, and the result of years of work by our community and a team of bipartisan elected officials, including Congresswoman Slotkin, who’ve worked tirelessly on our behalf,” said Tony Spaniola of Need Our Water in Oscoda. “We are grateful to each of them, and to Under Secretary LaPlante, for their leadership, and we look forward to continuing to work with them to get additional interim remedies implemented at Wurtsmith, and at other military installations across the country, without further delay.”

Oscoda, Michigan and other communities surrounding the now-closed Wurtsmith Air Force Base have been found to have groundwater containing PFAS levels far greater than those deemed safe by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

Last week, Slotkin sent a letter to Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment William LaPlante urging the Department of Defense to implement additional remedial actions at four sites in the Oscoda area. 

In the two most recent annual National Defense Authorization Acts for fiscal years 2022 and 2023, Slotkin led a number of provisions related to PFAS that were signed into law, including a measure requiring the DoD to publish results of drinking and ground water PFAS testing conducted on or near military installations or former defense sites and another facilitating the development of alternative gear for service members that is not laden with forever chemicals.

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) have been used for decades in everything from firefighting foam to food packaging and even textiles. Due to this widespread use, PFAS have been introduced to environments and waterways in Michigan, which has, according to a 2019 report, the highest number of PFAS-contaminated sites in the country. Because they are resistant to natural degradation processes, PFAS are harmful to humans and are often referred to as ‘forever chemicals.’