Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., left. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
WESTFIELD – Kristen Mello, a founding member of WRAFT (Westfield Residents Advocating for Themselves) shared a letter sent to Scott Pruitt, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on April 13, a copy of which Mello received from an aide to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
The letter, signed by Warren and 24 other senators, urges Pruitt to take swift action regarding “serious public health concerns related to groundwater contamination from Per- and Polyfluoroakyl Substances (PFAS) in communities and on Department of Defense installations across our states.”
The letter states, in part: “Some of these chemicals are included in the manufacture of aqueous film forming foam (AFFF), which has been used in training exercises and to extinguish fires in places such as commercial airports and military installations. Two types of PFAS, Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctyl Sulfonate (PFOS), are included on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Contaminant Candidate List (CCL), which lists potentially harmful contaminants, but does not require them to be regulated under the Safe Water Drinking Act.”
Specifically, the letter goes on to urge the EPA to declare a federal maximum contaminant level (MCL) for PFAS and PFOS in drinking water that would allow the Department of Defense to move forward with remediation decisions under CERCLA, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, known also as Superfund. Also needed, according to the request, is a cleanup number determined by the Office of Land and Emergency Management, which administers CERCLA.
“Without an MCL and cleanup number, the unintended result is that many military communities across the country remain in limbo,” wrote the Senators in their letter.
Besides Warren, the senators signing the letter include Jack Reed (D-RI), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Joe Manchin (D-W.VA), Kamala D. Harris (D-CA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Patty Murray (D-WA), Thomas R. Carper (D-VA), Christopher A. Coons (D-DE), Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Gary C. Peters (D-MI), Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Bernard Sanders (Ind-VT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jeffrey A. Merkley (D-OR), Margaret Wood Hassan (D-NH), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH).
On April 2, members of Sen. Warren’s staff held separate meetings with Mayor Brian P. Sullivan and staff, the Air National Guard, and Mello, who brought with her Mary Jones of the Toxic Action Center and former Ward 4 Councilor Mary O’Connell.
“We are very pleased to be able to share with you that these Senators have taken a stand and demanded very clear immediate action from EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt,” said Mello in sharing the letter.
“This strong representation for communities impacted by contamination from per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances across the country shows us that our message is being heard and affirmed in Washington D.C.,” Mello added, thanking everyone who helped “to shed light on this emerging national environmental and public health issue.”
Mayor Sullivan also received a copy of the letter, and said he is staying in close contact with the offices of Senators Warren and Markey. “It is an impressive group of ranking Senators fighting for their local communities for some direction and ultimately funding from the EPA and Federal Government. Westfield appreciates anything Washington can and should do to assist our efforts to clean our water,” Mayor Sullivan said.
