Peters & Slotkin Demand Answers as Trump Administration Further Delays Toxic PFAS Chemical Cleanups at Military Sites in Michigan

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Gary Peters (MI) and Elissa Slotkin (MI) are demanding answers from the Trump Administration for its continued delays in cleaning up toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at military installations in Michigan and across the country. The delays come as Michigan communities and residents continue to face severe challenges with toxic PFAS contamination. Michigan is home to 16 military installations where DOD has identified or suspects PFAS contamination, including Camp Grayling and the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda. In a letter to U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Pete Hegseth, the senators called on DOD to reverse its unacceptable postponement of PFAS remediation at military bases and requested detailed explanations for the delays in order to give servicemembers, their families, and the surrounding communities the transparency they deserve.

"We remain greatly concerned by the staggering delays at some installations, which include over 170 installations with delays ranging from 1 year to over 20 years," the senators wrote. "Communities around these installations must not be left behind, and remediation work cannot wait."

Recently, the Department of Defense (DOD) quietly updated its timetable for PFAS remediation at military sites across the country. Its new timeline, which was only recently made public but dated September 30, 2025, delayed cleanup efforts by over a decade at many installations and even up to two decades in some cases. In total, over 170 military sites were affected by this newest round of delays, including 8 sites in Michigan. This comes just months after DOD initially pushed the PFAS remediation timelines for roughly 150 bases late last year. In November 2025, Peters and Slotkin also led a letter with their colleagues to Secretary Hegseth demanding that he reverse those delays.

In their most recent letter, Peters and Slotkin wrote, "Furthering our concern is the fact that this most recent set of delays is backdated to September 30, 2025, raising the question of whether the Department has further expanded the breadth and extent of its delays in the previous nine months. The longer DOD takes to complete such remediation efforts, the greater the risk to public health and the environment in impacted communities."

PFAS or "forever chemicals" are widespread contaminants found in many industrial applications and especially around U.S. military installations. At least 700 military sites in the United States are known or suspected to have PFAS contamination from DOD activities. PFAS exposure is linked to an array of health problems, including various cancers, reduced immune function, reproductive challenges, birth defects, thyroid issues, and more. The use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam at DOD facilities, and the subsequent stormwater runoff, is a significant source of drinking water pollution. This contamination poses serious health risks to servicemembers, their families, and the communities surrounding these military sites.

The full text of the letter to Secretary Hegseth can be found here.

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