{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://fernandez.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=657", "On Fourth Anniversary of Hermit\u2019s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire Containment, Leger Fern\u00e1ndez Demands Answers on Toxic Metals in Fire Retardants", "2026-08-21", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "House", "NM", "Teresa Leger Fernandez", "L000273", "fernandez.house.gov", "fernandez", "https://fernandez.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "SANTA FE, N.M. \u2014 Four years after the Hermit\u2019s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire was finally contained, U.S. Representative Teresa Leger Fern\u00e1ndez (D-N.M.) is demanding greater accountability for the federal government\u2019s use of wildfire retardants that may contain toxic metals.\n\nLeger Fern\u00e1ndez and House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) led a letter asking the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate the prevalence and potential effects of toxic metals in fire retardants used by the U.S. Forest Service and Department of the Interior. The letter was also signed by Representatives Judy Chu, Adelita Grijalva, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Pablo Jos\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez, Lateefah Simon and Sara Jacobs.\n\n\u201cFour years ago, the flames finally stopped. But for the families of Mora and San Miguel counties, this disaster did not end when the smoke cleared,\u201d said Congresswoman Leger Fern\u00e1ndez. \u201cIt lives in contaminated wells, flood-scarred fields, empty foundations and the endless paperwork of survivors still waiting for FEMA to do its job. The federal government started this fire, and the federal government has a responsibility to answer every question about the harm it caused. We do not yet know whether fire retardants contributed to the heavy metals found in northern New Mexico\u2019s groundwater. Our families should not have to wonder whether the water coming from their tap is safe to drink. Accountability means following the evidence, telling the truth and fixing what was broken.\u201d\n\nFederal agencies used 48.6 million gallons of fire retardant in wildfire operations in 2024 alone. One academic study estimated that aerial wildfire retardants released approximately 380,000 kilograms of toxic metals into the environment nationwide between 2009 and 2021.\n\nFollowing the Hermit\u2019s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire, testing found elevated levels of heavy metals in groundwater in parts of northern New Mexico. The lawmakers\u2019 letter does not draw a conclusion about the source of that contamination. Instead, it asks GAO to determine whether fire retardants could pose risks to communities, watersheds and wildland firefighters.\n\nSpecifically, the lawmakers ask GAO to examine:\n\nThe prevalence of metals such as arsenic, antimony, lead, chromium and cadmium in fire retardants used by federal agencies;\n\nPotential health and environmental effects when retardants are deployed near watersheds and groundwater;\n\nPotential health risks for nearby communities and wildland firefighters;\n\nSafer alternatives that could reduce the introduction of toxic metals into the environment; and\n\nBest practices federal agencies should follow to protect human health and the environment.\n\nThe Hermit\u2019s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire began with two U.S. Forest Service prescribed burns that escaped control and merged. It became the largest wildfire in New Mexico\u2019s recorded history, burning more than 340,000 acres before reaching full containment on August 21, 2022.\n\nLeger Fern\u00e1ndez\u2019s Work for Hermit\u2019s Peak/Calf Canyon Survivors\n\nSince the fire, Congresswoman Leger Fern\u00e1ndez has:", 1, "2026-08-22T05:24:59Z", "2026-08-22T05:26:16Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://fernandez.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=657"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.6540762260556221, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}