The Air Force is looking to accelerate its environmental clean-up activities in an effort to free up land for military or civilian use and to ease the burden on taxpayers for site clean-up. The plan calls for shifting focus from partial clean-up solutions, which sometimes take decades to complete, to clean-ups that are more “technically feasible” and “cost effective,” according to service officials. “Getting the remedies in place is an important event and a terrific indicator of progress, but it’s time to shift our focus to actually completing our clean-ups,” said Terry Yonkers, USAF’s assistant secretary for installations, environment, and logistics. He added, “The standard clean-up practices take too long to reach only interim results and often require decades of land-use restrictions or monitoring, or both.” Among the changes to accomplish these goals, officials intend to award more performance-based, fixed-price contracts. (SAF/PA report by Gary Strasburg)
One Airman was killed and three others injured in a vehicle mishap at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., on June 29. Additionally, two first responder Airmen sustained injuries responding to the incident. All five injured Airmen have been transported to nearby medical facilities, according to a release from the base.