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WASHINGTON, DC—Congressman Allen Boyd (D-North Florida), a member of the Military Construction-Veterans Affairs Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, questioned Wayne Arny, the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and Environment, on Wednesday about the Camp Lejeune water contamination issue and pledged to continue pressing the Department of Defense and the Department of the Navy for more answers.
Navy, contractor, and federal agency water tests discovered pollutants in the water in the early 1980s. A recent government study estimates that between the years of 1958 and 1985 people living and working at Camp Lejeune may have been exposed to contaminated drinking water. Congressman Boyd has been working with the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which is currently investigating the groundwater contamination at Camp Lejeune.
As a part of Congress’ investigation, the Subcommittee has asked the Department of the Navy for two different documents that the Navy has refused to provide to Congress: a 1999 Litigation Report pertaining to water contamination at Camp Lejeune and potential liability, including interviews with U.S. Marine Corps and Navy personnel, as well as a 1985 Confirmation Study for Camp Lejeune performed by the Navy Assessment and Control of Installation Pollutants (NACIP) program on the water testing and contamination issues at Camp Lejeune.
At the congressional hearing, Congressman Boyd questioned Secretary Arny on why the Department of the Navy has refused to provide Congress with these documents and again asked that they be provided to him and to the Energy and Commerce Committee. Secretary Arny responded that he would look in to the matter and provide the reports if he can. Congressman Boyd will continue to press the Navy and the Defense Department on this issue until they supply the 1999 Litigation Report and the 1985 Confirmation Study or a valid reason why the Navy cannot provide these documents.
“Under one-party rule from 2000 to 2006, Congress failed to ask the tough questions of this Administration,” said Congressman Boyd. “This was a total abdication of Congress’ constitutional duty of oversight. With no checks and balances in recent years, we have seen rampant negligence, waste, abuse, and even corruption. Well, no more. This Congress will keep asking the tough questions of this Administration, and I plan to do my part to get some answers to the questions that my constituents and the American people expect their representatives in Washington to be asking.”
Secretary Arny also stated that the Navy has been working to notify potential victims of water contamination at Camp Lejeune. The National Defense Authorization Act passed by Congress and signed into law by the President in January requires the Secretary of the Navy to notify past residents and civilian employees at Camp Lejeune of their possible exposure to contaminated drinking water.
Recently, Congressman Boyd has spoken with or been advised of seven different families in North Florida who are seeking medical records, birth records, and other information directly related to water contamination at Camp Lejeune. Tests show that drinking water at Camp Lejeune was contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE), dichloroethylene (DCE) tetrachloroethylence (PCE), and in their degraded forms, benzene, methyl chloride, and vinyl chloride, between 1958 and 1985. These chemicals are found primarily in industrial degreasing solvents, dry cleaning solvents, and fuels.
“We have an obligation as a government and as a nation to protect our servicemen and women and all military personnel whether they are stationed at home or abroad,” Boyd stated. “The health and safety of our servicemen and women must be a primary concern of the Department of Defense. As the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations examines this issue, I will continue to offer my assistance to the Subcommittee and to strongly urge the Department of Defense to comply with all of the Subcommittee’s requests for information in a timely manner.”
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