McGarvey to EPA: don't take your eyes off UPS crash site

Cleanup efforts have recovered 880,000 gallons of oil-water mixture, but federal oversight is shifting to an advisory role and the congressman wants the EPA to stay involved.

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Nearly a month after a UPS cargo plane crashed near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, killing 14 people and spilling hundreds of thousands of gallons of jet fuel, Congressman Morgan McGarvey is asking federal environmental officials to keep a close watch on the cleanup.

In a letter dated December 1st to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and Regional Administrator Kevin McOmber, McGarvey thanked the agency for its rapid response while expressing concern about the long-term public health implications of the November 4th crash.

"Our community is heartbroken by the immediate loss of life, and we mourn for and with our friends and neighbors," McGarvey wrote. "We are also concerned with the long-term public health implications of this accident."

The scale of the environmental response has been massive. Flight 2976 was carrying approximately 220,000 pounds of jet fuel when it caught fire during departure. Since the crash, cleanup crews have recovered close to 95 percent of the oil- around 880,000 gallons of oil-water mixture- and contained the spill within the impacted waterway.

McGarvey noted that Louisville's public drinking water has remained safe for consumption, crediting the EPA's quick work. But his letter comes at a crucial transition point: the EPA has formally handed further cleanup efforts to the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection and moved into an advisory role.

That shift is what prompted McGarvey's request. He's asking the federal agency to "continue to oversee this site with utmost care" and keep his office informed about any updates regarding public health and safety.

The congressman also highlighted an additional complication- while the plane itself wasn't carrying hazardous materials, several businesses near the crash site that do store hazardous materials on-site were affected by the incident.

The crash left wreckage spread over a wide area, with the plane significantly fragmented and burned. Three crew members on board and 11 people on the ground were killed, with over a dozen more injured.