CSWAB UPDATE
October 3, 2019
EPA Unwilling to Challenge Military on Open Burning PFAS
EPA Region 4 Administrator Mary Walker has rejected CSWAB's citizen petition
for intervention that would prohibit open air burning of PFAS and other
hazardous chemicals at Holston Army Ammunition Plant in Tennessee - a
practice that constitutes an ongoing imminent and substantial endangerment
of human health and the environment. Together with Volunteers for
Environmental Health and Justice based in Kingsport, Tennessee, our petition
was submitted in July 2019.
We asked that EPA take immediate steps to assure that Tennessee residents
and workers are afforded the same protections as other states within Region
4. In November 2018, the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection
expressly prohibited open burning and open detonation of PFAS-contaminated
wastes at the Blue Grass Army Depot near Richmond. Our petition asked that
similar limitations be required at the Holston facility in Tennessee.
Administrator Walker's August 8, 2019 letter promises only that the agency
will continue to participate in discussions with Tennessee regulators,
rather than use its authority to directly challenge the uncontrolled release
of toxic emissions from munitions disposal at Holston - a practice that has
persisted for more than 60 years.
In 2012, the U.S. Army at Holston Army Ammunition Plant reported that it
expected to generate approximately 120,000-150,000 pounds net explosive
weight per year requiring disposal in the burn pans over the next five
years; this waste stream included nonconforming plastic bonded explosives
which are known to contain PFAS, a group of highly toxic chemical compounds.
Our petition emphasized that open burning could result in air deposits of
PFAS onto soil and surface water, which could readily migrate to
groundwater.
According to federal health officials, exposure to PFAS may affect growth,
learning, and behavior of infants and older children, interfere with the
body's natural hormones, affect the immune system, and increase the risk of
cancer.
Posted by Laura Olah | Executive Director
Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger | www.CSWAB.org
P: 608 643 3124 | E: info@cswab.org
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Laura Olah | Executive Director
Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger | www.CSWAB.org
E12629 Weigand’s Bay South, Merrimac, WI 53561
P: 608 643 3124 | E: info@cswab.org
www.facebook.com/cswab.org | www.twitter.com/CSWAB