U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, a Democrat representing New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District, recently issued a press release announcing that she and other members of Congress are seeking an investigation into the prevalence and impacts of toxic heavy metals in aerial fire retardants.
The congresswoman’s request to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) cites unsafe levels of antimony, arsenic, and uranium detected in dozens of private wells last November in Mora County, New Mexico. As FSEEE previously reported, slurry bombers made nearly 2,500 retardant drops in the area to combat the 2022 Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire. An independent study documented the metals contamination, and the discovery prompted the New Mexico Health Department to issue a health alert.
“Four years ago, the flames finally stopped. But for the families of Mora and San Miguel counties, this disaster did not end when the smoke cleared,” said Congresswoman Leger Fernández. “It lives in contaminated wells, flood-scarred fields, empty foundations and the endless paperwork of survivors still waiting for FEMA to do its job.
“The federal government started this fire, and the federal government has a responsibility to answer every question about the harm it caused…. Our families should not have to wonder whether the water coming from their tap is safe to drink. Accountability means following the evidence, telling the truth and fixing what was broken.”
The letter submitted by members of Congress to the GAO cites the Department of Agriculture’s own admission that it dispersed 48.6 million gallons of aerial fire retardant in 2024 before signing a new five-year retardant contract for $1.12 billion.
FSEEE has been pressing the Forest Service for years to be transparent and accountable regarding aerial fire retardant and its impacts. This includes FSEEE’s most recent lawsuit alleging that Forest Service use of retardant laden with heavy metals violates the Endangered Species Act. A GAO investigation into heavy metals in retardant would address this concern.
