Tony Spaniola, a national PFAS advocate and Oscoda homeowner, has been invited to the White House five times in the last year — twice in just the past two weeks.
"The attention that Oscoda is getting nationally, just continues to grow," Spaniola said.
He said it's been a whirlwind after the Environmental Protection Agency implemented federal drinking water standards for PFAS on April 10 and then listed two of the chemicals as "hazardous substances" under the Superfund law on April 19.
The drinking water rule requires all public water systems to assess their PFAS levels by 2027, and then, if necessary, implement treatment systems by 2029 to meet the new criteria.
The hazardous designation for PFOA and PFOS enables the EPA to address contamination and force polluters to pay for cleanup. The rule also requires industries to report PFAS leaks and releases.
With more federal protection, Spaniola said he's hopeful the Department of Defense will honor its promise to follow the stricter standards in contaminated communities like Oscoda and Grayling.
"Because it's one thing to have them, but it's important they be implemented and implemented properly," Spaniola said. "With the Department of Defense, I'm never sure until I actually see the action."
While the drinking water rule mandates public water suppliers to meet the standards, top DOD officials have stated the military will use them as limits for private wells.
Now, Spaniola said it's a matter of implementation.
"I'll be interested to see how that actually does play out because there are a lot of people watching in communities where there are defense PFAS cleanups," he said.
Air Force and National Guard officials did not respond to WCMU's immediate request for comment.
