By Valerie Volcovici and Idrees Ali
WASHINGTON, May 8 (Reuters) – Members of Maryland’s congressional delegation are awaiting answers from the U.S. Air Force about its delay in informing them about a fuel leak from Andrews Air Force Base into a tributary of the Potomac River.
Maryland lawmakers said they still have not gotten a response from the Defense Department after they sent a letter earlier this week seeking answers about a fuel leak into Piscataway Creek in Prince George’s County that they were only notified about on March 23, two months after 32,000 gallons of jet fuel were discharged.
Approximately 22,000 gallons of fuel were discharged into the environment, contaminating soils and nearby Piscataway Creek.
The delegation, except for Republican Congressman Andy Harris, said the Air Force did not initially disclose the full extent of the spill and only did so weeks after the fact.
“Their failure to immediately contain the spill is unacceptable on its own, but their lack of transparency made matters worse – denying the Maryland Department of the Environment the opportunity to implement containment measures that could have limited the damage,” Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen said in a statement on Friday.
The Air Force said the Air Force Secretary would respond directly to the lawmakers.
The base said on Friday it was responding to the fuel leak “after personnel discovered fuel odors and observed a visible sheen on Piscataway Creek on March 23, 2026.”
“Mitigation measures are in place to contain the release and prevent further migration, while the spill is being investigated and addressed. The installation is coordinating closely with environmental authorities to ensure all appropriate steps are taken to protect surrounding waterways and ecosystems,” the base said.
In the letter to Air Force Secretary Troy Meink, the lawmakers said Joint Base Andrews didn’t reveal the full extent of the spill until April 8, more than two weeks after notifying the state of the incident.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is set to testify on Capitol Hill next week before House and Senate appropriations subcommittees and is expected to be asked about the spill, lawmakers said.
The oil spill is the latest environmental incident involving the Potomac watershed. In January, a large DC Water sewer pipe burst near the C&O Canal in Montgomery County, Maryland, and contaminated the river with raw sewage.
The Potomac Conservancy said the river is also vulnerable to pollution from the rapid buildout of data centers in the D.C. metro area.
“It’s part of a broader pattern of infrastructure failures and pollution events that continue to threaten the Potomac River’s health,” the environmental group said.
(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
