WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Barrasso , R-Wyo., ratcheted up the pressure on Washington to assist the City of Cheyenne in removing trichloroethylene (TCE) from the city’s water.

“The city of Cheyenne should not have to shoulder the entire burden of cleaning up this mess,” Barrasso said. “I believe the federal government has a responsibility to leave Wyoming the way they found it: unspoiled.

Barrasso’s comments came during a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing examining the extent of perchlorate and TCE in the nation’s water supply.

“The Army Corps of Engineers will conduct a study to determine whether there is a connection between the missile site and the wells. Given the close proximity of the missile site to the water source, the connection seems pretty obvious to everyone but them.”

“City and state officials are doing a great job of containing the TCE, but it is an expensive venture that is falling squarely on the backs of Wyoming folks. Washington is responsible for this mess. They should roll up their sleeves and help out.”

The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the City of Cheyenne have found evidence of trichloroethylene (TCE), an industrial solvent used in cleaning rocket motors, in the city’s water wells. DEQ believes the contamination is directly linked to a former nuclear missile site eight miles from the city’s wells. The Army Corps of Engineers have disputed this claim.