[CPEO-MEF] REUSE, PFAS: "While $55 million cleanup continues, Rantoul reaps revenues from leases at former Chanute Air Force Base" (IL)

[Lenny Siegel <Lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

While $55 million cleanup continues, Rantoul reaps revenues from leases at former Chanute Air Force Base

By Maya Brito 
CU-CitizenAccess (IL)
June 11, 2026

While dozens of businesses are leasing property from the Village of Rantoul on the former Chanute Air Force Base, the Air Force is still performing $55 million of environmental cleanup at other locations on the former base.

The cleanup focuses on contamination like asbestos and PFAS at sites across Chanute, which closed in 1993.
 
PFAS stands for polyfluoroalkyl substances and are also referred to as “forever chemicals.” These substances take between hundreds to thousands of years to break down, lingering in the environment. They are a threat to water quality and human health, as they are known to cause cancer.

About $210 million has been invested in the cleanup as of April 2026, and Air Force officials said 95% of the sites with contamination have been addressed.

Mark Kinkade, director of public affairs for the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center, said the high-risk PFAS sites are what the Air Force addresses first. The environmental cleanup focuses on reducing the risks to safe levels for people and the environment.

…

For the entire article, see
https://cu-citizenaccess.org/2026/06/while-55-million-cleanup-continues-rantoul-reaps-revenues-from-leases-at-former-chanute-air-force-base/

—

Lenny Siegel
Executive Director
Center for Public Environmental Oversight
A project of the Pacific Studies Center
LSiegel@cpeo.org
P.O. Box 998, Mountain View, CA 94042
Voice/Fax: 650-961-8918
http://www.cpeo.org
Author: DISTURBING THE WAR: The Inside Story of the Movement to Get Stanford University out of Southeast Asia - 1965–1975 (See http://a3mreunion.org)




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