US EditionPentagon Delays Cleanup of ‘Forever Chemicals’
Cleanup delays at nearly 140 military sites push some remediation schedules back by up to a decade amid high costs and technical challenges, officials said.
- In recent weeks, the Department of Defense postponed PFAS cleanup at nearly 140 U.S. military installations, revising March timelines that delayed work completion publicly.
- Years of firefighting-foam use left widespread PFAS contamination at U.S. military sites, while limited and costly cleanup technology vendors and filtration systems drive nearly $7 billion annual costs, the Government Accountability Office says.
- At specific sites, local schedules were shifted sharply as the Air National Guard base in Portland, Oregon, delays completion from September 2025 to 2031 and Fairchild Air Force Base near Spokane, Washington, pushes its timeline from July 2026 to June 2032.
- Nearby communities face ongoing exposure and interim protections as the Department of Defense spent more than $2.6 billion on bottled water, treatment, and 109 drinking-water filters lasting five years.
- Political and legal battles over funding and responsibility now shape cleanup prospects as about one-quarter of military sites face five-year delays, with some cleanups pushed to 2039 amid nearly $200 million cuts and lawsuits including New Mexico.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Feds quietly delay cleanup of forever chemicals at military bases in Oregon, Washington
The U.S. Department of Defense quietly changed its timeline for cleaning up toxic forever chemicals contaminating groundwater at two military bases in Oregon and Washington, delaying the process by six years without public announcement.
DoD to Expand Investigation, Cleanup of 'Forever Chemicals' in Response ...
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Trump Admin Slows Down ‘Forever Chemical’ Site Cleanups
The Department of Defense has postponed cleanup of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly known as "forever chemicals," at nearly 140 U.S. military installations. The revised schedules, released in March without formal announcement, indicate some sites could face delays of up to a decade compared with earlier plans. PFAS have been widely used by the military, particularly in firefighting foams employed during training exercises wit…
Pentagon Delays Cleanup of ‘Forever Chemicals’
“The Department of Defense has quietly delayed its cleanup of harmful ‘forever chemicals’ at nearly 140 military installations across the country,” the New York Times reports. “The Pentagon has been one of the most intensive users of these chemicals, which are also known as PFAS and are a key ingredient in firefighting foam. For decades, crews at U.S. military bases would train to battle flames by lighting jet-fuel fires, then putting them out w…
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