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In this photo courtesy of Bootleg Fire Incident Command, a plane drops flame retardants near Bootleg Fire’s Mitchell Monument on July 19, 2021.
Pirated fire incident command via InciWeb
A Eugene-based environmental group has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service over the practice of airdropping flame retardants to combat wildfires.
An employee of the Forest Service for Environmental Ethics claims the agency is violating the Clean Water Act with the unauthorized release of flame retardants into waterways.
Andy Stahl is the executive director of the organization. He questions the effectiveness of airdropping flame retardants to contain wildfires.
“We lose pilots every year, and that trade-off may make sense,” Stahl said. Maybe it’s worth killing fish and polluting water if it’s going to save forests, communities and homes.
This is the third lawsuit filed by the same group against the agency concerning airborne flame retardants.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service said the agency does not comment on pending or ongoing lawsuits.
Stahl spoke to “Think Out Loud” host Dave Miller about the complaint. Click play to listen:
