This week, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and New Mexico Attorney General petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals to advance litigation against the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) for PFAS contamination at Cannon and Holloman Air Force Bases. The agencies filed a writ of mandamus requesting that the Fourth Circuit Court reverse its decision to transfer the state’s PFAS litigation into multi-district litigation in South Carolina, and instead remand it back to New Mexico, arguing the multi-district litigation will result in delays that will put public health and the environment at further risk.
If the petition is granted in South Carolina, the case will move to New Mexico this year, where it will be decided if DOD will be forced to clean up the PFAS pollution from both bases. In the meantime, NMED is using state funds to delineate the extent of the contamination.
To learn more about how NMED is addressing PFAS throughout the state, see here. [Longsworth]
