Camp Lejeune compensation bill from Cartwright, North Carolina reps passes House

The House has passed a bill from U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright and two of his colleagues from North Carolina that would allow those harmed by contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune to sue for compensation.

Cartwright (D-Moosic) worked on the legislation with Reps. Gregory Murphy and David Price, a Republican and a Democrat, respectively, from North Carolina, where Camp Lejeune is located.

Under this legislation, veterans and others who were exposed to the contaminated water for at least 30 days would be able to file suits in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, something that previously wasn’t possible “because of a unique provision in North Carolina law,” according to a press release announcing the bill’s passage in the House.

From the 1950s to the 1980s, Marines, their family members and Camp Lejeune staff “used government provided tap water that was contaminated with harmful chemicals, found at levels ranging from 240 to 3400 times the levels permitted by safety standards,” Cartwright’s office said. “These exposures likely increased the risk of cancers, such as renal cancer, multiple myeloma, leukemia and more. It also likely raised their risk of adverse birth outcomes, along with other negative health effects.”

Water from two treatment plants was contaminated by multiple sources, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry: "leaking underground storage tanks, industrial area spills, and waste disposal sites," as well as waste from an off-base dry cleaning service.

Cartwright was joined by area veterans in Scranton last week to highlight the bill’s passage. Among them was Gerard McNamara, a Vietnam veteran and corporal who spent three months at Camp Lejeune in 1967 and "was later diagnosed with multiple ailments and cancers from the contaminated water," Cartwright’s office said.

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“The servicemembers who signed up to defend their country and the people who supported them at Camp Lejeune were let down in a big way by their government. This tragedy was a major failure on the part of the Department of Defense, and all those who suffered for it deserve justice,” Cartwright said.

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act was included within the Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act, which passed on Thursday, March 3 by a vote of 256-174. The bill had the support of all House Democrats and 34 Republicans, including Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick and John Joyce from Pennsylvania. The Senate has not yet voted.

Kathryne Rubright is a reporter covering the environment, northeast Pa. politics, and local news. She is based at the Pocono Record. Reach her at krubright@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Bill that would allow vets exposed to toxic water to sue passes House