Press Releases

Westfield, MA – During a visit to the Pioneer Valley Railroad Yard in Westfield to speak with local chambers of commerce, small businesses, and community leaders including Westfield Mayor Don Humason, Ward 6 City Councilor Bill Onyski, and Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts President Rick Sullivan, Congressman Richard E. Neal took the time to speak about the importance of the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bill, which passed the House of Representatives on July 21, included significant provisions to assist the City of Westfield rid their drinking water of harmful chemicals as a result of runoff from Barnes Air National Guard Base. 

Westfield first noticed high levels of PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in 2016. City officials were able to trace the chemicals back to a type of firefighting foam that was used at Barnes Air National Guard Base, home of the 104th Fighter Wing. While the bases ceased use of this foam in 2015, the damage was already done, and the town’s drinking water was compromised.

“I have been an active partner with the City of Westfield’s mediation of this issue from the beginning, and I continue to use my voice in Washington to advocate on their behalf,” said Chairman Neal. “I worked with my colleagues on the Congressional PFAS Task Force to ensure that language that would continue to assist Westfield was included in the NDAA that passed the House in late July.”

The NDAA includes provisions that would assist with PFAS remediation including:

• Requires the Secretary of Defense to clean-up PFOS and PFOS contamination to enforceable State standards, when those standards meet or exceed Federal standards health advisories.
• Increases transparency by requiring the Department of Defense to publish on a public website the results of drinking and ground water PFAS testing conducted on military installations or former defense sites.
• Makes technical corrections to the FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act to ensure that all National Guard installations are eligible for Defense Environmental Restoration Account fund to clean-up PFOS and PFOA contamination.
• Authorizes a total of $1.5 billion for environmental remediation and cleanup at current military installations, formerly utilized defense sites, and installations closed by BRAC, to include an additional $190 million in BRAC and Environmental Restoration accounts to support acceleration of remediation activities and PFAS response.

Most recently, in September 2019, Chairman Neal was able to assist the city in receiving $1.3 million from the U.S. Air Force for this matter. And in January 2020, the House passed H.R. 535, the PFAS Action Act which revises several environmental laws and requires the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate PFAS much more closely. More information on that legislation can be found HERE.

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