New Mexico Sues Air Force Over 'Forever Chemicals'

For years, toxic "forever chemicals" from a US Air Force base in New Mexico have contaminated local water and farmland—now, the state is taking the US military to court for refusing to clean up the mess. The state is suing over continued PFAS pollution stemming from Cannon Air Force Base—the latest move in a battle that's now stretched into its seventh year. The state alleges the Air Force has failed to comply with orders to address a four-mile plume of PFAS chemicals in the aquifer beneath Clovis, leading to contaminated drinking water, damaged crops, and the loss of dairy cattle, the Guardian reports.

Despite acknowledging the use of firefighting foam as the pollution source, the military has largely resisted state directives, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill and the pollution unchecked, according to state officials.

• PFAS are a group of chemicals used for water, stain, and grease resistance. They are linked to health risks including cancer and birth defects. Their persistence in the environment has earned them the nickname "forever chemicals."
• The 2018 discovery of contamination affected more than 100 private wells and a municipal supply for Clovis, a city of 40,000, with PFAS levels in some water sources measured at 27,000 times the EPA's recommended limit.
• In August, another 7,000 gallons of PFAS-tainted water leaked from the base, but the Air Force has declined to pay a $70,000 state fine.

• The new lawsuit follows state legislation that designates PFAS foam as hazardous. New Mexico is asking a judge to require the Air Force to provide water treatment or municipal hookups for affected residents, implement pollution controls, and offer compensation for property loss.
• The Air Force, which is phasing out PFAS foam nationwide but has been criticized for slow cleanup at other bases, said it does not comment on active litigation. Cleanup at Cannon is not expected to be completed until at least 2026.
• After a federal judge allowed the case to move forward last month, the New Mexico Environment Department said in a statement that the state is now at the "front of the line" of those seeking compensation for the Air Force's use of the toxic foam. "Any judgement in the New Mexico case will set a new precedent for states to hold polluters accountable across the United States," the department said.