How US Military Bases in Australia Threaten Our Future & How to Remove Them
#AustralianSovereignty, #ClimateAction, #EnvironmentalJustice, #NoUSBases, #PFASContamination
US military bases in Australia endanger our environment and security. Discover the damage they cause and how Australians can push for their removal.
https://socialjusticeaustralia.com.au/us-military-bases-in-australia/
Just proving that #Trump's administration is TOXIC!
Trump #EPA withdrawal of #PFAS effluent limits is setback for #PublicHealth, #EWG warns
WASHINGTON – "On Tuesday, the Trump Environmental Protection Agency withdrew a pending Biden administration plan that would have protected public health from the chemical manufacturing sector by setting discharge limits on the toxic '#ForeverChemicals' known as PFAS.
"The Trump administration pulled the proposal from White House review – the last step before the agency could release the plan publicly and seek comment on it. The decision is a significant setback for efforts to address the growing public health crisis caused by industrial PFAS pollution of the water supply.
"Coupled with President Donald Trump’s executive order placing a freeze on any new federal regulations, the withdrawal prompts significant concerns from environmental and public health advocates about the future of PFAS regulation and whether tackling the PFAS contamination crisis will be an administration priority.
The following is a statement from Melanie Benesh, vice president for government affairs at the #EnvironmentalWorkingGroup:
"Yesterday’s action by the Trump administration to withdraw the long-awaited proposal on PFAS effluent limits is a devastating setback in the fight to protect our communities from toxic 'forever chemicals.'
"This move not only delays establishing critical federal standards but also sends a dangerous message giving polluters a green light to continue poisoning our water and communities without fear of consequence.
"It’s an unconscionable betrayal of the public’s health in favor of corporate interests, and it underscores this administration’s troubling shift in policy which threatens to roll back any progress to protect our #environment and hold #polluters accountable.
"PFAS contamination is already a public health crisis. The science is clear: PFAS are toxic at even the smallest levels, and they have been linked to serious health problems, including cancer, immune suppression and developmental harm. Communities across the country, especially those near PFAS-manufacturing facilities, have lived with the devastating consequences of this pollution for decades.
"State regulators have waited for the federal government to lead on this issue so they can incorporate effective monitoring and treatment requirements into their discharge permits. Without federal limits, those efforts remain stalled.
"The Trump administration’s refusal to act now puts even more lives at risk, leaving American communities to fend for themselves as polluters continue their unchecked discharges of toxic PFAS into our water."
https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/statement/2025/01/trump-epa-withdrawal-pfas-effluent-limits-setback-public-health-ewg
#WaterIsLife #PFASContamination #EnvironmentalDamage #ManMadeDisasters #AFFF #Wildlife #OceansAreLife #PFASPollution
#FirefightingFoam #PFOS
#3M #ForeverChemicals #Environment #BigChemical #CorporateInterests #Corporatocracy #TrumptyDumpty #WhenIdiotsRule #USPol
#Maine lawmakers introduce bill to create response program for #PFAS threats
February 6, 2025
AUGUSTA (WGME) – "State lawmakers have introduced a bill to create a response program to clean up and reduce threats created by dangerous chemicals known as PFAS.
"This comes months after toxic and potentially #cancer-causing #FirefightingFoam was accidentally sprayed at a former air base in #BrunswickMaine.
"While this bill would monitor PFAS levels, one Brunswick lawmaker says she and others are working on additional bills related to the fallout from that spill.
"'And we’re continuing to advocate for funding, whether it’s through the state budget or leaning on our federal partners, since that substance was put in by the Navy,' Sen. Mattie Daughtry (D-Cumberland) said. 'Because one thing I stand firm to is my constituents, myself, my neighbors, the taxpayers of Brunswick and Maine should not be on the hook for a disaster they did not cause.'
"This bill would allow the state to buy, sell or transfer property contaminated by PFAS and deposit the proceeds into a fund to deal with contamination."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/maine-lawmakers-introduce-bill-to-create-response-program-for-pfas-threats/ar-AA1yz81L
#WaterIsLife #CascoBay
#PFASContamination #EnvironmentalDamage
#ManMadeDisasters #AFFF
#PicnicPond #Site8Stream
#MereBrook #MerriconeagStream
#HarpswellCove #Wildlife #OceansAreLife #PFASPollution #BrunswickNavalAirStation
#BrunswickStation #Maine #AndroscogginRiver
High levels of #ToxicChemicals found in #BrunswickMaine airport hangar #sewers
#CitizenPFAS monitoring revealed concerning levels of toxic chemicals in the sewer outfall of #Hangar6 in Brunswick, though a company hired to assess risk at the hangar said there is no leak of the toxic firefighting foams on the premises.
by Kristian Moravec, The Times Record
Posted February 4, 2025, Updated February 5
"A citizens group’s testing revealed that sewer water flowing from Hangar 6 at Brunswick’s airport has high levels of harmful per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS.
"#FriendsOfMerrymeetingBay conducted testing on Nov. 26. The tests detected high levels of a particularly toxic #PFAS chemical compound known as #PFOS. The update comes the same day the owner of the hangar, the #MidcoastRegionalRedevelopmentAuthority, sent a letter to the town stating that tanks that stored the chemicals were not leaking.
"PFOS is a compound known to be harmful to human health and is found in high levels in aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF). Brunswick Executive Airport’s Hangar 4, which is owned by the Navy but operated by MRRA, dumped 1,450 gallons of AFFF concentrate mixed with 50,000 gallons of water on Aug. 19, 2024.
"The spill prompted ongoing cleanup and monitoring efforts as well as a push to get rid of the foam at the airport. Concern has grown around Hangar 6, which some have speculated is leaking harmful chemicals based on the testing data around the airport that Friends of Merrymeeting Bay has collected over the years. The sewage that flows out of Hangar 6, which is not treated for PFAS, ultimately flows into the #AndroscogginRiver."
Original article:
https://www.pressherald.com/2025/02/04/high-levels-of-toxic-chemicals-found-in-brunswick-airport-hangar-sewers/
Archived version:
https://archive.md/LlHx1
#CitizenScience #WaterIsLife #CascoBay #PFASContamination #BrunswickMaine #EnvironmentalDamage #ManMadeDisasters #WaterIsLife #PFAS #AndroscogginRiver #PFASContamination #AFFF #PFOS #PicnicPond #Site8Stream #MereBrook #MerriconeagStream #CascoBay #HarpswellCove #Wildlife #OceansAreLife #PFASPollution #BrunswickNavalAirStation #BrunswickStation #Maine #FirefightingFoam #OceansAreLife
Citizen PFAS monitoring revealed concerning levels of toxic chemicals in the sewer outfall of Hangar 6 in Brunswick, though a company hired to assess risk at the hangar said there is no leak of the toxic firefighting foams on the premises.
So, when I see catastrophic events like the #BESSFires or widespread #PFASContamination in #BrunswickMaine, the first thing I think of is, "Where are the wildlife going to hide? How is this event going to affect them and the nearby #ecosystems?"
"The #ElkhornSlough Reserve is closed until further notice due to potential health risks from a fire at the #MossLanding Battery Storage Plant that started on January 16.
"The area has been evacuated and will remain closed until emergency services determines that air quality is no longer hazardous.
"Elkhorn Slough is a cherished #ecosystem of tremendous importance to #MontereyBay and beyond. We appreciate all the efforts of local, county, and state authorities and emergency response teams, as well as the outpouring of concern from the community regarding health impacts for people and #wildlife in the area.
"We have not yet seen reports of any documented negative environmental impacts from this incident, but it is too early to know. The Elkhorn Slough Reserve conducts robust monitoring programs for water quality, habitats, and wildlife. We will be looking closely at impacts from this incident in the future, and will collaborate with partner agencies in their monitoring efforts."
https://elkhornslough.org/moss-landing-fire-incident-january-2025/
#EnvironmentalDamage #ManMadeDisasters
Unfortunately, I missed this protest. But good to know that #BruceGagnon and others are bringing attention to the #MilitarizationOfSpace!
Oct 24 'Maine Space Conference' protest news release
Bruce Gagnon: "The #MaineSpaceConference is promoting the militarization of space. Efforts are being made to test #hypersonic missiles at the former #LoringAirForceBase. #bluShitAerospace is receiving funding from the U.S. #SpaceForce to launch 'dual use' (military/civilian) mini-satellites into dangerously congested #LowerEarthOrbit. [#LEO].
"Promises of lots of jobs, little to no #environmental impacts, and peaceful exploration of space are the standard claims made at a myriad of potential new launch sites the #USMilitary is exploring around the world.
"The U.S. and #Israel have been blocking a #SpaceWeaponsBan treaty (#PAROS) at the United Nations for more than 25 years.
"Our nation cannot afford to pay for a new expensive arms race in outer space."
https://space4peace.blogspot.com/2024/10/protest-maine-space-conference-portland.html
#NoToxicRocketsForMaine #SpaceCorporations #Pollution #ToxicRockets #SpacePollution #SpaceIndustry #PFASContamination #Maine #NoWar #Protest
Um, all this concern about humans eating wild animals contaminated with #PFAS? How about concern that WILD ANIMALS ARE CONTAMINATED WITH PFAS!
'Do not eat' advisory issued for wildlife harvested in parts of #Kennebec, #Waldo counties
by Ariana St Pierre, WGME
Fri, October 25th 2024 at 6:47 AM
"The #Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife tested wildlife throughout the #Unity, #UnityTownship, #Thorndike, and #Albion area." [Lots of working farms in that area too!]
#ForeverChemicals #Maine #PFASPollution #WaterIsLife #PFAS #PFASContamination #AFFF #PFOS
Midcoast [#Maine] Regional Redevelopment Authority executive director steps down after [toxic firefighting] foam spill
Story by WGME Staff
October 10, 2024
BRUNSWICK (WGME) -- "The executive director of the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority is stepping down.
"The #MRRA Board of Trustees says #KristineLogan has resigned.
"Last month, a group of Brunswick leaders and legislators called for Logan's resignation after hundreds of gallons of toxic #firefighting foam spilled in August, more than a year after a report warned that the system was 'deficient.'
"The #BrunswickMaine leaders say they want the group to have increased oversight and accountability."
#WaterIsLife #PFAS #AndroscogginRiver #PFASContamination #AFFF #PFOS #PicnicPond #Site8Stream #MereBrook #MerriconeagStream
#CascoBay #HarpswellCove
#Wildlife #OceansAreLife
#PFASPollution #BrunswickNavalAirStation #BrunswickStation #Maine
#PortlandMaine fire department announced they were going to switch to #F3 soon!
#Maine officials look for safer alternatives to #toxic #firefighting foam
by Mal Meyer, WGME
Mon, August 26th 2024
"That's why the [Portland] fire department is turning over to something new soon, called 'F3,' that won't have #PFAS.
"'Over the last 8-10 months, the Department of Defense has approved a couple of different products,' Cenate said.
"The lack of options and cost has been part of the problem.
"'There are certainly challenges for the industry and nationwide moving forward,' Bradbury said.
"The South Portland Fire Department was quoted roughly $138,000 to replace the 3,000 gallons of #AFFF it has, not including the price of disposal.
"'It’s nice that we'll be on the forefront with our transition in October,' Bradbury said.
"It's tough to say how much of AFFF is around Maine.
"A state taskforce in 2019 tried to figure that out but got limited responses and that hasn't been updated since because there's been no funding for it.
"The group estimated there could be up to 48,000 gallons in Maine fire departments alone.
"'There has been discussion about whether or not to do a collection and destruction program,' Maine DEP Commissioner Melanie Loyzim said. 'Some other states have been doing that over the last several years.'
"In Brunswick, the Navy had been planning to remove AFFF in mid-September, as leaders looked for something more environmentally friendly."
#PFASContamination #PFOS #CascoBay #Wildlife #WaterIsLife #OceansAreLife #PFASPollution #ForeverChemicals #FirefightingFoam
FFS! Municipalities need to change over to #F3 ASAP!
#Toxic firefighting foam spills into #wetlands after truck fire in #SouthPortlandMaine
by Ariana St Pierre, WGME
Fri, August 30th 2024
"Crews used 47 gallons of #AFFF #firefighting foam to put out the truck's diesel fuel that was burning. That foam contains PFAS or '#ForeverChemicals.'
"Despite their efforts to contain it, firefighters say 70 gallons of foam and diesel fuel spilled into the gravel wetland along Philbrook Avenue and #LongCreek.
[...]
"This comes about 10 days after over 1,400 gallons of firefighting foam containing PFAS spilled at the Brunswick Executive Airport and leaked into a nearby pond [which eventually drains into #HarpswellCove and #CascoBay]."
#PFASContamination
#PFOS #CascoBay #Wildlife #WaterIsLife #OceansAreLife #PFASPollution #FirefightingFoam #LongCreekWatershed
Denis
DoomsdaysCW
