Resident of Oscoda and community leader urges Department of Defense to take swift action on cleanup of PFAS contamination

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Cathy Wusterbarth, co-founder of Need Our Water (NOW) in Oscoda and a Great Lakes PFAS Action Network community leader, testified today at a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Field Hearing in East Lansing on PFAS contamination.

Wusterbarth is an Oscoda resident who has been impacted by PFAS contamination from the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base – the first discovered PFAS site in Michigan and the first Department of Defense PFAS site in the world. Wusterbarth called for swift action and increased accountability over the Department of Defense, which has continually dragged its feet on the PFAS contamination from the former military base in Oscoda.

"As a community that has stood beside the Department of Defense while the base was in operation, our expectation is to be respected, for our voices and stories of our very real suffering from toxic PFAS contamination to be heard and learned from, and for our expertise as residents to be valued,” said Cathy Wusterbarth, a community leader for the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network. “If the Department of Defense allows for community input in a meaningful way, we can minimize the future harm for us and future generations." 

The hearing was convened to discuss Sen. Peters efforts to improve coordination on addressing PFAS among governmental agencies.

“There’s an opportunity for the Air Force to make Wurtsmith a national showcase, instead of an ongoing disgrace,” said Tony Spaniola, co-chair of Great Lakes PFAS Action Network. “The time for action is now.”

Since PFAS was discovered at Wurtsmith in 2010, public health officials have issued five separate public health warnings for PFAS in Oscoda, and there still is no plan in place to clean up the contamination. For years Oscoda residents have been calling on the Air Force to act swiftly to clean up the contamination, but have been met with stiff resistance from the Air Force

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The Great Lakes PFAS Action Network is a coalition centered and driven by people impacted by toxic PFAS pollution, and supported by the Michigan League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, Ecology Center, National Wildlife Federation and Need Our Water (NOW), Oscoda. More information can be found at glpan.org.