TONY SPANIOLA –
Anthony Tony Spaniola is a Detroit-area attorney who became a leading national PFAS advocate following learning that his family’s lake house in Oscoda was contaminated with PFAS from the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base. This was the first reported PFAS source in Michigan and the second reported U.S. military PFAS Site.
Spaniola founded Need Our Water (NOW), in 2017 with Oscoda residents. It has since become one the most respected PFAS community groups in the country. He also co-founded and chairs the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network. He is also a member of the Leadership Team for the National PFAS Contamination Coalition. This coalition includes community-based PFAS organizations from across the country.
Spaniola was one of the first to bring the PFAS issue to the attention and elected officials in Michigan. He was part of the first PFAS legislation to be introduced in the Michigan Legislature. Dan Kildee credits him with the idea that led to the creation the bipartisan Congressional PFAS task force. He was a PFAS Policy Advisor to Michigan Attorney-General Dana Nessel in her 2018 campaign. He continues to collaborate with elected officials in Michigan on PFAS policy issues.
Spaniola has presented PFAS talks at colleges and universities across the nation and is often quoted in national and state media coverage of PFAS issues. He was the only nonscientist to address the National Academy of Sciences in 2019 at its inaugural PFAS Workshop. He has appeared in three PFAS documentary films and was a consultant for Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sara Ganim’s critically-acclaimed film No Defense: The U.S Militarys War On Water.
ABOUT LISA WOZNIAK
Michigan League of Conservation Voters
/
michiganlcv.org
Lisa’s career spans over twenty years of environmental and conservation advocacy in politics. She is a nationally recognized expert in non-profit management and growth, and a leader in Great Lakes conservation. Lisa graduated three times from the University of Michigan with a Bachelors degree and two subsequent Masters degrees in Social Work and Education.
Lisa is a cohost and content partner on 89.1 WEMU’s “1st Friday Focus on Environment”.
RESOURCES:
Michigan League of Conservation Voters
Great Lakes PFAS Action Network
TRANSCRIPTION:
David Fair: It is said that time moves quickly. Although it is not always true, it seems like the third of the year has passed rather quickly. David Fair is my name and I’d love to welcome you to 891 WEMU’s first Friday Focus on the Environment. As spring nears, I wish we had something more cheerful to discuss for you. PFAS contamination has again made headlines. Lisa Wozniak is my content partner. She is the executive director of Michigan League of Conservation Voters. Lisa, no matter what topic, it’s always great to be with you. I also look forward to the next year as we work through some of these difficult topics.
Lisa Wozniak: Dave, it’s always an honor to be here. As challenging as some topics may be, including today’s, our guests are always great and help us think new ways. Today is a great example. Tony Spaniola, co-chair of Great Lakes PFAS Action Network, is our guest.
David Fair: Tony, welcome back at WEMU.
Tony Spaniola: Thank you. It’s great to be here.
David Fair: Tony, an attorney based out of Troy, has been a leading activist against PFAS contamination in Michigan. He helped to form Need Our Water NOW, Oscoda, and the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network. After the forever chemicals were found in Oscoda’s water, it was his first involvement in activism. It was a result of the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base. It’s not an isolated incident. We still have a don’t eat fish advisory in place for the Huron River because of PFAS contamination. Tony, this has now become a significant and important part of your daily life.
Tony Spaniola: Absolutely. Absolutely. It’s growing every day.
Lisa Wozniak:Tony, they mentioned your connection to Oscoda. For our listeners, we would love to hear from your story about how you became involved in taking action against PFAS.
Tony Spaniola: Sure. My family sent me a notice. That’s how I got involved. We have a home at Van Etten Lake, Oscoda in the north. In 2016, we received a notice advising us that our water could be contaminated by PFAS from the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base. It affects Oscoda. In fact, Oscoda was the first place in Michigan where PFAS was found. Now, we have contaminated sites throughout the state. We know that about two million people drink PFAS-contaminated drinking water. There are also over 11,000 suspected PFAS sites. It is a serious problem in Michigan as well as nationwide.
David Fair: Tony, over the past few weeks, we received reports that beef processed from a Livingston County farm was subject to a consumption advisory because of high levels PFAS. How is that possible? How does PFAS get into beef?
Tony Spaniola: In this case, it starts at a Wixom wastewater plant. From there, there are things known as biosolids. This is basically the human wastesludge that’s left over from processing. In this case, the corn that was grown on a Livingston County farm was contaminated. The corn was then fed to cattle and the meats became contaminated. It’s a chain of events. Many people are shocked to hear that wastewater treatment plants’ waste is used as fertilizer. However, it is a very common practice in our state. I’m sure that more than 7,000 farms do it.
Lisa Wozniak: Tony, that’s exactly where you were going to be next. Tony, this is an unusual incident, according to the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. However, we know that biosolids are used in agriculture for years. It is used by thousands of farms. My question is, how concerned should you be about PFAS contamination from other food sources.
Tony Spaniola: We need to be very concerned. Of course, more information is needed. And I believe that EGLE is doing a great job collecting data. I don’t necessarily agree that the description is accurate. Looking at Michigan’s situation, I don’t agree with the characterization. EGLE has very little legal authority. This is a Wild West situation. However, in Michigan, biosolids with PFAS levels up to 150,000 are permitted to be applied to farms. This is a shockingly high number, especially when you consider that the drinking water standards range from six to 15 to 18 parts for trillion. It’s even more alarming when you consider the state of Maine that has adopted it. This issue has been taken up by Maine. The thresholds for PFOA are 60 times lower in Maine than they are for PFOS. These numbers are still very high. We don’t know much about what’s happening on farms, such as what’s showing-up on the land, in the actual products, or what’s showing-up in the residual. For example, we don’t know what’s being eaten by the poultry and cattle that may be consuming the crop on the farm. This could be a serious problem. Because farming is such a crucial industry in our state, I think it’s a difficult issue. It’s the backbone of our state. The farmers aren’t necessarily doing wrong and neither are the consumers. But we must protect both the farmers as well as the consumers who use the products.
David Fair: The First Friday Focus on the Environment continues with 89 WEMU students. My co-host Lisa Wozniak is my co-host. She is the executive director of Michigan League of Conservation Voters. Tony Spaniola is our guest today, the co-chair for the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network. We’ve identified some problems in Michigan and perhaps standards aren’t up to standard. Now, we need to look at the solutions. Is it legislative? Is it corporate or not? Is it all of these?
Tony Spaniola:It’s likely all of the above. I believe that in the short term, if someone were to ask what I think should have been done, they would want a program to ban the use of biosolids. It’s important to protect and care for farmers who have been using biosolids as fertilizer for a long period of time. Also, it’s important to look at what has happened to their products, livestock, and farms. This is not something that’s just begun. It’s been going for a long, long and long time. This is why I believe that there should be a short-term solution. In the larger picture, I believe that PFAS must be eliminated from our product supply chain. We need to ban the use chemicals for other than the most important purposes. This is what has been done in Europe. It’s what we need to do in Michigan and the United States from a rational, sensible perspective.
Lisa Wozniak: Tony, there have been ongoing reports about the battle against the U.S. Air Force regarding the contamination it caused in Wurtsmith Air Force Base Oscoda. What are the latest developments?
Tony Spaniola: It seems that we sometimes take one step forward and now we are in the two-step back mode. First, the Air Force has announced that it is retrenching and that there is no evidence that veterans or their families were exposed to high levels PFAS in their drinking water. This is false. The state of Michigan has conducted scientific studies. Bob Delaney (a very thoughtful and careful man) called the Air Force’s statement flat-out false. The Air Force is increasing its size. The Air Force has also taken the initiative to implement a plan for remedial investigation without public input. In response to criticisms and continued concerns from the community, the Air Force said, “Hey, talk with us!” They have omitted large parts of the community, as far as we know, from their investigation. They have started some minor cleanups at the base. The problem is still a major one. As I’ve stated, and as many of us in Oscoda have also said, we have to fight to gain every inch of ground. It’s taking a long time.
David Fair: Should we not also invest in safer alternatives to these chemicals, and the legislative mandates that would support the transition away from fossil fuels, as we work towards accountability?
Tony Spaniola: Oh, absolutely. That’s one of the brightest spots. Companies have an economic incentive to find alternatives. Our governor has taken a leadership position in this and has directed state agencies in Michigan to stop – wherever possible – procuring PFAS-contained goods. A similar order was issued by President Biden at the federal level. All those things, David. This requires that you take action at every stage and phase.
Lisa Wozniak: Tony, you helped to launch the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network. It’s important that you note that there are many organizations working on a variety issue across the state. Why was this one important?
Tony Spaniola: It was, I think. I think it was crucial because we need an organization to speak for the impacted people. In my time and involvement in this, one thing that struck me is the number of advocates. As a lawyer, that makes me an advocate. People who live with these issues day in and day out, people such as me in Oscoda, understand the issue in a different way. We have been in the back of these discussions in the past and have not been heard or listened to. This is why I formed this organization. It’s community-led and community-driven with crucial help from important partners, Lisa. Lisa, like the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. It helps to raise that voice and bring together diverse voices across the state to speak together. That makes us much more powerful and, I believe, more able to accomplish things. I am really, really excited.
David Fair: I think this is a great way to end today, knowing that we will need to continue to have conversations in future. Tony, thank you so much.
Tony Spaniola: Thank you.
David Fair: Tony Spaniola, PFAS activist and expert, is that Tony. You can find more information on Tony and his work on a number of fronts at our website, WEMU dot. org. We’ll see Lisa in April, too,
Lisa Wozniak: David, as always, I look forward. Many thanks.
David Fair:Lisa Wozniak, executive Director of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, is my co-host of WEMU’s First Friday Focus on the Environment. David Fair is my name, and this is 891 WEMU FM. HD One Ypsilanti.
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