The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and the state’s Attorney General have filed in federal court a preliminary injunction against the Air Force to compel it to address PFAS contamination.
In a press release, NMED Secretary Jim Kenney and Attorney General Hector Balderas noted their frustrations with the Air Force regarding failure to act, and outlined the state’s request for the Air Force to immediately begin delineating the groundwater plumes caused by decades of AFFF use at Cannon and Holloman Air Force bases through regular groundwater and surface water sampling. The filing also requests alternative water sources and treatment options to communities affected by contamination, voluntary blood tests for residents who may have been exposed, and additional documentation as to the extent of contamination around the bases.
NMED and the Attorney General sued the Air Force in April, citing violations of the state’s Hazardous Waste Act. The injunction includes amendments to reflect additional violations of the federal Resource Conservation Recovery Act. New Mexico has stated that it believes legal action is the swiftest way to clean up contamination, and hopes the injunction will help protect New Mexicans and the environment as the April case proceeds.
