The Army’s environmental restoration program has completed remedial action on 91% of its cleanup sites, according to congressional testimony. This still leaves 1,200 contaminated locations on current or closed bases that remain untouched.

Remediated sites have reached the point where they only require monitoring, Amy Borman, deputy assistant Army secretary for environment, safety and occupational health, told a House subcommittee earlier this summer.

“To make the most impact, we continually reassess the cleanup program with the intention of addressing the highest risk sites first,” Borman said, pledging the Army is committed to cleaning all contaminated locations.

“The Army has been identifying and conducting cleanup at sites since the 1980s and has come a long way,” she said. “While the Army is proud of our successes, we remain focused on continuous improvement in our cleanup program."

Cleanup at the remaining sites generally is more costly, labor-intensive or technologically challenging, she said.

“Our priority remains the health and safety of our service members, their families, Army civilians, and the communities surrounding our installations,” Borman said. “We will continue to prioritize and address our sites where risk to human health is the highest.”