“Congratulations to the incredible team at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for an accomplishment that was decades in the making,” said Meredith Berger, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations, and the Environment, and the Department of the Navy’s Chief Sustainability Officer. “Every day, this team comes to work and makes environmental stewardship a core part of their mission. All their hard work has brought impactful results, and I know they’ll continue to keep their focus on protecting the environment in support of the mission.”
Berger was the keynote speaker at today’s shipyard celebration, which also included Shipyard Commander, Capt. Michael Oberdorf; EPA Region 1 Administrator, Dr. David Cash; Maine Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner, Ms. Melanie Loyzim; and Community Co-Chair of the Restoration Advisory Board, Mr. Doug Bogen. “This is an incredible success story of Navy, EPA and Maine working together to protect the health and safety of the community and the environment,” Berger said.
“The Navy, the State, community advocates and shipyard employees were among the most effective team our EPA staff worked with in 28 years,” commented Cash. “Congratulations to everyone for their dedication in protecting public health and ensuring surrounding ecosystems of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard are preserved for future generations.”
“Our environmental program has been meeting the unique challenge of sustained, proactive environmental restoration and cultural resources management of America’s oldest continuously operating naval shipyard,” said Oberdorf. “The success we celebrate today shows our commitment to environmental stewardship, our Seacoast neighbors, and supports the shipyard’s critical mission.”
Commissioner Loyzim spoke to the teamwork necessary to successfully execute environmental restoration work on a 200-year-old, active military installation. “This could not have been accomplished without the extraordinary collaboration between the Navy, EPA, DEP, NOAA, Tetra-Tech consultants, and most importantly the Restoration Advisory Board and local residents,” said Loyzim. “It is this kind of collaboration amongst agencies and with local community members that makes Superfund site work a success.”
Though unable to attend the ceremony in person, Maine and New Hampshire congressional delegations sent representatives to support this achievement.
“The successful cleanup of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is the result of 30 years of collaboration between the state and federal government,” said Senator Susan Collins. "It is great news that the shipyard is no longer considered a Superfund site, and as a longtime supporter of the Superfund program, I am pleased to see those investments paying off.”
“Portsmouth Naval Shipyard plays an important role in our national defense-supporting our shipbuilding priorities and providing good-paying jobs to many Maine people,” said Senator Angus King. “The recent news that PNSY is being removed from EPA's Superfund list is an encouraging step to know that their efforts to address the toxic threats on its grounds have made a difference. While there is still work to be done, and regular reviews will continue, this EPA decision is a welcome acknowledgement of their hard work thus far.”
“Portsmouth Naval Shipyard performs an incredible service to our country in maintaining and upgrading the Navy's submarine fleet, while being a critical pillar to Southern Maine's economy,” said Congresswoman Chellie Pingree. “After nearly 30 years of research, assessment, and clean-up activities, today’s announcement from EPA is exciting and welcome news for the shipyard’s workers, surrounding communities, and importantly—for the environment. As ranking member of the House Appropriations Interior and Environment Subcommittee which oversees funding for this critical clean-up program, I am thrilled that the shipyard is now considered environmentally safe and healthy. Today marks the start of a new chapter for Portsmouth Harbor, where shipbuilding has thrived for hundreds of years.”
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard was first added to the Superfund Site list in 1994. The EPA proposed delisting last August and after a 30-day public review and comment opportunity, no comments were received. The EPA deletes sites or portions of sites from the Superfund list when no further construction is required to protect human health or the environment. Cleanup and remediation are complete, but EPA monitoring will continue. The Navy will conduct follow-up reviews every five years with the agency.
PNSY is a 278-acre restricted-access military facility employing more than 6,600 civilians and 800 active military personnel, including the submarine crews, whose primary mission is to overhaul, repair, and modernize attack submarines for the U.S. Navy. The shipyard was established as a government facility in 1800 on Seavey Island, at the mouth of the Piscataqua River, where shipbuilding dates back to 1690. The first government-built submarine was designed and constructed at the shipyard during World War I, and a large number of submarines have been designed, constructed and repaired at the facility since then. Contamination resulted from shipbuilding and submarine repair work, landfill operations, spills and leaks from industrial operations and piping, storage of batteries and other materials, filling of land, and outfalls to the river. Seven areas on and around the shipyard had been identified for investigation and are now delisted from the NPL. All remedies are successfully implemented and continuing stewardship will maintain institutional controls to ensure the protection of human health and the environment.
PNSY is the Navy's center of excellence for attack submarine maintenance, repair, and modernization. As a field activity of Naval Sea Systems Command, PNSY is committed to maximizing the material readiness of the fleet by safely delivering first-time quality, on time, and on budget.