The Department of Defense, Department of Energy, NASA and the private sector currently operate more than 60 open burn pits across the U.S. and its territories – causing the uncontrolled release of PFAS and other toxic chemicals to the environment. A new federal proposed rule posted today by the U.S. EPA will allow these massive burn pits to continue under certain operating conditions.
Communities that live in the shadow of these open burning/open detonation (OB/OD) sites say the rule does not go far enough to protect the health of base workers, service members and neighboring residents – instead, they are calling for a complete U.S. ban on OB/OD.
In a statement issued today, members of the national Cease Fire Campaign said only a ban will prevent the uncontrolled release of toxic emissions to the environment, incentivize the development of newer safer treatment technologies and secure federal funding for the deployment of alternative technologies.
The DOD, DOE and industry have had 50 years to address OB/OD and it continues today because regulators have been “flexible,” the Cease Fire Campaign emphasized.
EPA acknowledges that burn pits – which are used to primarily treat waste explosives – have the potential to release to the environment “heavy metals, perchlorate, particulate matter, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), dioxins/furans, explosive compounds, and other toxic and hazardous contaminants.”
“The taxpayers have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to clean up contaminated soils and groundwater from past releases at burn pits across the country; we don’t need to add more pollution to that burden. EPA needs to enact a ban on the open burning of these dangerous chemicals which pollute our air, water, and soils if we are to protect the environmental justice communities hosting these facilities. We need to modernize our weapons destruction capabilities the same way we are modernizing our weapons manufacturing capabilities,” states Jane Williams of California Communities Against Toxics.
https://projects.propublica.org/bombs/
“Communities hosting these burn pits bear the pollution burden while readily available alternative technologies sit on the shelf. Only a ban on open burning will provide the incentive necessary for DOD to embrace cleaner technologies,” stated Laura Olah, director of Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger and coordinator for the Cease Fire Campaign.
“In my own community, former burn pits are the source of groundwater contamination that has migrated miles from the source area – poisoning drinking water wells in its path,” Olah added. “The $250 million spent on cleanup at this single site could buy closed detonation chambers for dozens of communities, preventing the uncontrolled release of toxic chemicals to the surrounding environment.”
“There are existing advanced technologies that can be used now to treat these munitions which can greatly reduce the health and environment burdens, some of these technologies have already been developed and used to help destroy our chemical weapons stockpiles,” stated Craig Williams of the Kentucky Environment Foundation.
“A complete ban is the only way to provide fair and equitable treatment to communities by protecting ALL communities,” the Cease Fire Campaign emphasized.
HOW TO HELP:
Sign the petition at https://cswab.org/cease-fire-campaign/cease-fire-petition/
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Full link to EPA pre-publication rule at
https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2024-03/prepublication_copy_obod_of_waste_explosives_proposal.pdf
Full link to EPA statement on emissions at
https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2022-06/OBOD_Policy_Memo_signed_6.7.22_508.pdf
SERDP article SCWO for complete destruction of PFAS at https://serdp-estcp.mil/projects/details/0d7c91a8-d755-4876-a8bb-c3e896feee0d/eroject-https20-5350-proverview