JENKINTOWN, PA – Today, Rep. Madeleine Dean (PA-04) announced that the Air Force has disbursed $2.8 million in funds that will allow Horsham Air Guard Station (formerly Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove) to partner with the Warminster Municipal Authority to build a permanent containment and filtration system for PFAS-contaminated surface water.
For years, we have been deeply concerned by the ongoing contamination flowing from the Willow Grove base and into our region’s groundwater,” said Rep. Dean. “Now, base leaders – including Colonel Griffin, who has partnered with us in this effort - have the funds they need to stop it.”
PFAS chemicals are linked to a range of health consequences, including several types of cancer and impaired immune system performance. The chemicals have long been used in a range of consumer products, and some remain in use on military installations.
On December 16, Rep. Dean sent a letter to the Comptroller of the Air Force, emphasizing the ongoing risks to her constituents and urging final approval of the Willow Grove project. On January 2, her office learned that funds had been disbursed.
“Tackling our local – and national – water contamination problem is one of my highest priorities,” said Rep. Dean. “Article 1, Section 27 of the Pennsylvania Constitution guarantees us the right to clean air and water and therefore makes government the trustee of these resources. Today, we are a step closer to cleaning up our region’s drinking water.”
Rep. Dean is a founding member of the bipartisan Congressional PFAS Task Force. She has also introduced H.R. 2600, the Toxic PFAS Control Act, which would ban the manufacture and processing of PFAS chemicals and require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate their disposal. In May, she hosted members of the PFAS Task Force in the Pennsylvania Fourth District, touring the Willow Grove base and hosting a public roundtable discussion in Upper Dublin.
Rep. Madeleine Dean is a mother, grandmother, attorney, professor, former four-term member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and U.S. Representative for the Fourth District of Pennsylvania.
