The Military Base Home to Air Force One Leaked 32,000 Gallons of Jet Fuel Into the Potomac River Over the Last Few Months

"Maryland's Joint Base Andrews, the facility that stores and maintains Air Force One, has lost tens of thousands of gallons of valuable jet fuel over two separate leaks. That would be bad enough on its own, but Joint Base Andrews is situated directly on Piscataway Creek, a tributary of the Potomac River."

"Across the first two months of the year, base personnel noted the loss of roughly 10,000 gallons of jet fuel, though they believed at the time that the leak was contained to the base itself, and had not impacted the surrounding environment. On March 23, however, an observer reported what appeared to be oil floating in the Piscataway, forcing the Department of Defense to make an incredibly embarrassing call to the state of Maryland."

"Yet according to NOTUS, military officials failed to disclose how much fuel had actually spilled into the state's waterways during that initial call. It took a further two weeks for the DoD to bring state officials up to speed on the full impact of the leak, prompting outrage from environmental regulators."

""There's an equation with a lot of blank spaces that have to be filled in," deputy secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment Adam Ortiz told NOTUS. "That's why the rules are what they are. People are supposed to report immediately.""

Joint Base Andrews, which stores and maintains Air Force One, experienced two separate jet-fuel leaks totaling tens of thousands of gallons. The base sits directly on Piscataway Creek, a tributary of the Potomac River, increasing the risk of contamination of surrounding waterways. A critical leak safety test failed as early as December, and personnel later reported roughly 10,000 gallons lost during the first two months while believing the leak was contained on base. On March 23, an observer reported oil floating in Piscataway Creek, leading the Department of Defense to notify Maryland. Officials did not disclose the full amount spilled during the initial call, and it took two more weeks to provide complete information, prompting outrage from environmental regulators. The environmental consequences are expected to be severe.

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