The Pentagon is again delaying its timelines to clean up “forever chemicals” at hundreds of contaminated military sites across the United States, the third time in a year the department has extended estimates for completing a key phase of the cleanups.
The latest update will change the schedule at 243 installations, a senior Defense Department official told NOTUS on Wednesday. The official acknowledged that the dates at those installations are being pushed back, while arguing the changes should not be interpreted as a slowdown in the Pentagon’s effort to address contamination from the chemicals known as PFAS.
Instead, the official said the new dates reflect expanding investigations, evolving regulatory standards and additional work needed as the department learns more about contamination at individual sites.