HOUSE CONSUMER AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR

HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 13

51st legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A JOINT MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE NEW MEXICO CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION TO FUND AND ASSEMBLE AN INDEPENDENT TASK FORCE OF EXPERTS TO ADDRESS THE KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE BULK FUELS SPILL CLEANUP AND TO REPORT ITS FINDINGS BY NOVEMBER 2014.

 

     WHEREAS, Albuquerque has the largest underground contamination threatening any city's drinking water aquifer in the history of the United States, now estimated at twenty-four million gallons, more than twice the Exxon-Valdez spill; and     WHEREAS, the department of environment has not exercised the necessary legal authority to order and enforce a comprehensive clean-up plan by the United States air force for the jet fuel spill; and

     WHEREAS, aggressive and timely characterization and remediation measures have not been enforced by the department of environment since the spill occurred in 1992; and

     WHEREAS, a conceptual site model for understanding the site and remediation of the site has not been developed and presented to the public; and

     WHEREAS, the liquid plume of jet fuel and aviation gas containing benzene, toluene, ethylbenzine, xylene, ethylene dibromide and other cancer- and disease-causing chemicals is dissolving into ground water, extends more than a mile long and a one-half mile wide and is moving in the direction of Albuquerque-Bernalillo county water utility authority drinking water supply wells; and

     WHEREAS, the air force recognized the spill in 1992, but there is still insufficient understanding of the size, depth and rate of the expansion of the plume of contamination; and

     WHEREAS, the air force and other experts confirm that the dissolved plume of toxic and carcinogenic chemical ethylene dibromide will contaminate Albuquerque's municipal wells; and

     WHEREAS, eighty percent of the jet fuel plume has spread off of Kirtland air force base and is moving beneath Albuquerque's homes and businesses; and

     WHEREAS, the federal agency for toxic substances and disease registry states that ethylene dibromide is very persistent in ground water; and

     WHEREAS, no comprehensive remediation plan has been put forth, and no direct remediation of the ground water has been performed, to remove the liquid portion of the jet fuel and the dissolved plume of ethylene dibromide from Albuquerque's drinking water aquifer; and

     WHEREAS, the full size of the dissolved ethylene dibromide plume is unknown, and there are no monitoring wells close to the city wells;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the New Mexico congressional delegation be requested to fund and assemble an independent task force of experts to report by November 2014 to the congressional delegation, the appropriate committee of the legislature, the Albuquerque city council, the Bernalillo county board of county commissioners and the Albuquerque-Bernalillo county water utility authority and to:

          A. identify and make recommendations for implementation of an effective scientific plan for the use of technology to clean up the Kirtland air force base bulk fuels facility jet fuel contamination;

          B. determine the emergency and long-term clean-up measures necessary to protect the public health and environment and the city of Albuquerque and its drinking water supply; and

          C. work with the affected neighborhood associations; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the governor be requested to direct all state and local agencies to fully cooperate with the task force; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the New Mexico congressional delegation.

- 4 -