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What We Do

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Advocacy Letters

May 19, 2020

Asking the Alaska Department of Fish & Game to initiate studies of PFAS levels in the resident Dolly Varden and salmon in the Salmon River in Gustavus. 

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February 3, 2020

Asking Governor Dunleavy, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, and the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities to remove AFFF from airports in Alaska (Joint letter signed by the Gustavus PFAS Action Coalition, Wake Up to the Toxic Environmental Reality, Alaska PFAS Action Coalition, Alaska Community Action on Toxics, 

Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, and The Nature Conservancy)

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January 1, 2020

Asking Governor Dunleavy to remove AFFF from Gustavus

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October 18, 2019

Thanking APAC, ACAT, SEACC, WATER, and The Nature Conservancy for signing on to GPAC's August 28 letter asking DEC for the full panel of PFAS chemicals

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October 10. 2019

Requesting (again) the removal of AFFF from Index A airports in Alaska and the immediate release of documentation to support DOT's claim that AFFF is needed for public safety

Click here for DOT's response

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August 28, 2019

Asking the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation for the full panel of PFAS chemicals when water is tested (instead of just PFOA and PFOS)

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August 15, 2019

Asking the Alaska Native Sisterhood for continued support and outlining goals for draft state PFAS legislation

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August 12, 2019

Asking the City of Gustavus to fund a pilot study to analyze commonly harvested foods in Gustavus for PFAS contamination.

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August 5, 2019

Asking Gustavus homeowners to share their PFAS well test results with GPAC so we can make a detailed community map

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July 29, 2019

Thanking U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski for her support of a proposed amendment to the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act that would advise the Environmental Protection Agency to establish tougher PFAS standards

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July 22, 2019

Asking the FAA to send a letter to all Index A airports around the country informing them of the sodium bicarbonate alternative to AFFF, citing the dangers of PFAS in the environment, and encouraging them to make the switch to the completely non-toxic sodium bicarbonate fire suppression immediately

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June 23, 2019

Letter to the editor published in the Anchorage Daily News objecting to the state's roll-back of PFAS drinking water standards. Written by Kelly McLaughlin (GPAC chair), Nana Paldi & Dave Berrey (Fairbanks residents affected by the South Fairbanks PFAS plume, and serve as Wake Up Alaska to the Toxic Environmental Reality (WATER) coordinators), and Paul Liedburg (Dillingham resident affected by the Dillingham PFAS plume)

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June 5, 2019

Letter to the editor by Melanie Lesh (GPAC member) published in the Juneau Empire objecting to the state's roll-back of PFAS drinking water standards

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June 3, 2019

Letter to the editor published in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner objecting to the state's roll-back of PFAS drinking water standards. Written by Kelly McLaughlin (GPAC chair), Nana Paldi & Dave Berrey (Fairbanks residents affected by the South Fairbanks PFAS plume, and serve as Wake Up Alaska to the Toxic Environmental Reality (WATER) coordinators), and Paul Liedburg (Dillingham resident affected by the Dillingham PFAS plume)

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May 26, 2019

Letter to the editor by Kelly McLaughlin (GPAC chair) published in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner objecting to the state's roll-back of PFAS drinking water standards

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May 25, 2019

Letter to the editor by Larry Landry (GPAC member) submitted to the Anchorage Daily News objecting to the state's roll-back of PFAS drinking water standards. Not published.

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May 21, 2019

Letter to the editor by Sally McLaughlin (GPAC secretary) published in the June 2019 issue of the Gustavus Strawberry Point Pioneer objecting to the state's roll-back of PFAS drinking water standards

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May 20, 2019

Letter to the editor submitted by Tom McLaughlin (GPAC member) objecting to the state's roll-back of PFAS drinking water standards. Not published.

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May 6, 2019

Asking Governor Dunleavy for replacement of AFFF in Gustavus with sodium bicarbonate

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April 4, 2019

Urging DOT to remove AFFF from Index A airports in Alaska in the interest of public safety

Click here for DOT's response

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March 18, 2019

Asking DOT for the immediate removal of AFFF from the Gustavus airport, in tandem with immediate replacement with sodium bicarbonate dry chemical

Click here for DOT's response

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​March 5, 2019

Asking the Gustavus City Council's Water Action Committee (GWAC) for additional water sampling around Gustavus (new test sites + monitoring wells) and to test vegetable, berry, and fungi samples

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February 25, 2019

Asking Alaska Airlines to advocate for fluorine-free foam at all Alaska airports (second request)

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February 7, 2019

Asking the FAA to allow for a PFAS-free foam to be used at all Alaska airports

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January 28, 2019

Asking Governor Dunleavy for attention to the PFAS crisis in Gustavus

 

January 16, 2019

Inviting PFAS-contaminated homeowners in Gustavus to join GPAC

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Additional advocacy letters sent prior to the formation of GPAC:

 

December 30, 2018

(from Kelly McLaughlin)

Asking Governor Walker to support banking of blood serum samples from PFAS-affected Alaskans

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December 14, 2018

(from Janet Neilson)

Asking CDC about banking blood serum and breast milk samples at the Alaska Area Specimen Bank

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December 11, 2018

(from Kelly McLaughlin)

Asking U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski for help with the PFAS crisis

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November 13, 2018

(from Kelly McLaughlin)

Asking Alaska Airlines to advocate for fluorine-free foam at all Alaska airports

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November 13, 2018

(from Kelly McLaughlin)

Asking Gustavus City Council to advocate for fluorine-free foam, to investigate the history of PFAS foam in Gustavus, and to network with Fairbanks

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November 12, 2018

(from Kelly McLaughlin) 

Asking DHSS for blood serum testing of affected Gustavus residents

Click here for DHSS' response 

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November 5, 2018

(from Kelly McLaughlin) 

Public comment on proposed amendments to 18 AAC 75 (Setting Cleanup Levels for PFAS)

 

November 4, 2018

(from Sally McLaughlin) 

Public comment on proposed amendments to 18 AAC 75 (Setting Cleanup Levels for PFAS)

 

November 4, 2018

(from Janet Neilson)

Asking Governor Walker to archive blood and breast milk samples from PFAS-affected Alaskans

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November 4, 2018

(from Janet Neilson)

Asking Gustavus City Council to investigate potential additional PFAS-contaminated sites in Gustavus

 

November 4, 2018

(from Janet Neilson)

Public comment on proposed amendments to 18 AAC 75 (Setting Cleanup Levels for PFAS)

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November 2, 2018

(from Kelly McLaughlin)

Asking Governor Walker to increase DHSS funding and collect blood serum from PFAS-affected Alaskans

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October 30, 2018

(from Kelly McLaughlin)

Asking the Gustavus City Council to consider providing safe drinking water to the Gustavus School 

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