The Army is continuing to apply its “worst first” principle for sites that need environmental cleanup, Amy Borman, deputy assistant Army secretary for environment, safety and occupational health, recently told House lawmakers, as AUSA reported.

She said the service is done with 90% of its environmental site cleanup and that cleanup “has come a long way” since the Army started environmental cleanup in the 1980s but that 1,200 locations need more attention.

“While the Army is proud of our successes and remains focused on continuous improvement of our cleanup program, we know that cleanup at many of the remaining sites is more complex and requires additional time and/or remedy based on more advanced technology,” Borman said. “We will continue to prioritize and address sites where the risk to human health is the highest.”

Army Corps of Engineers photo by Dena O’Dell