Maryland’s attorney general said Tuesday he intends to sue the U.S. Army for not complying with a federal mandate to clean up contaminated sites at Fort Meade.
“The Army was ordered to clean up this site and has failed to complete their mission,” Attorney General Doug Gansler said in a statement. “We cannot stand by any longer while this pollution threatens Maryland’s citizens and the environment.”
The Army has not followed a federal Environmental Protection Agency order to clean up sites where unexploded bombs and chemicals have contaminated soil and low-level aquifers not used for drinking water, Gansler said.
The Army has continuously denied the EPA’s lead on how to clean up the sites and said it will clean the fort on its own terms.
Fort Meade officials deferred comment to the Pentagon.
Army officials would not comment on the pending litigation.
“We have worked closely and with both the State of Maryland and the EPA to address the cleanup requirements at Fort Meade,” said David Foter, Army spokesman, in an e-mailed statement.
“While there is no imminent threat to human health or the environment, we acknowledge that much work remains to be done.”
Maryland environmental officials acknowledged pollution at the Anne Arundel base is not an immediate public health risk.
“This is to insure the Army has a legally binding commitment to make the necessary adjustments and investments and cleanups over the long term,” said Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Shari Wilson.
“We are encouraging them to enter this agreement as soon as possible.”
Wilson said the Army has indicated over the past six weeks it will cooperate with the cleanup agreement. The Army told The Examiner in July it spent $83 million to clean 33 of 51 contaminated sites.
Staff Writer Jaime Malarkey contributed to this report.
[email protected]
