Legislators meet on water issues

CANNON AIR FORCE BASE — New Mexico legislators met last week with U.S. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson regarding the chemical contamination from Cannon. They emphasized their effort to “work to protect New Mexico’s groundwater, communities, and agriculture, and press for appropriate compensation,” according to Sen. Tom Udall’s communications director Ned Adriance.

“As we discussed with Secretary Wilson, the Air Force must do more to address this serious issue with the urgency it demands,” said a joint statement Thursday from Udall, Sen. Martin Heinrich and Rep. Ben Ray Luján. “Protecting local water supplies is paramount and the Air Force must find a way to make people whole, including those in agriculture and dairy whose livelihoods have been upended by the PFOS/PFOA contamination.”

Adriance wrote that commitments from the Air Force following last week’s meeting include:

• Establishment of a “community-led Restoration Advisory Board” at the base

• Completion of a site inspection “to characterize the extent of the contamination”

• Identification of “statutory fixes needed to enable compensation and cleanup on agricultural lands”

• Increased communication and transparency on the process, including “a website and a point-of-contact at base.”