The Environmental Protection Agency “is ordering the Air Force to study contamination at its base [McGuire AFB, N.J.] and take steps to clean it up,” per an EPA release. EPA has given USAF a timetable that includes working with the surrounding community to get public input. Alan Steinberg, EPA regional administrator, called the problem at McGuire “extensive contamination” that has continued over the past 60 years. The Air Force began an environmental study at McGuire in 1982, identifying 41 areas for potential clean up for contaminants ranging from PCBs and pesticides to jet fuel products.
The Air Force overall reduced its size by 120 aircraft in fiscal year 2021, but kept about the same number of fighter, bomber and attack aircraft, according to data supplied by the service. The F-35 fleet saw the biggest increase while the B-1B bomber fleet saw the largest decline.