Although the days bi-partisan cooperation seem well in the rear view mirror, we hope the U.S. Congress looks favorably on that portion of the recently approved Defense Authorization Act that requires the Defense Department to study the health impacts of exposure to certain chemicals used at the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base near downstate Oscoda and other military bases around the country.

In addition, the Detroit Free Press reported over the weekend that another measure requires the Pentagon to report to Congress on the status of developing an alternative to perfluorinated chemicals — also known as PFCs — that were found in firefighting foam used at Wurtsmith and elsewhere.

Wurtsmith closed in 1993. A couple of years later, K.I. Sawyer closed locally. In both locations, the government has spent millions of dollars cleaning toxic chemicals and other compounds left over from U.S. Air Force use.

It’s unclear whether enough money was spent, or if the money was spent on the right things.

The Free Press story noted that the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services in 2012 issued a “do not eat” fish advisory for all fish caught from Clark’s Marsh and for resident fish in the lower Au Sable River, south of the Wurtsmith property, after unsafe levels of PFCs were detected. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality surveys of wells also found elevated levels of PFCs in that area, leading state and local officials to recommend residents use alternative water supplies, even though the levels did not exceed federal advisory standards.

Whatever the environmental problems end up being at Wurtsmith, or Sawyer, for that matter, we believe the problems are 100 percent the responsibility of the Air Force, the Department of Defense and the U.S. government.

But because the nation is chock full of similar former military bases and installations, we don’t see a lot being done with many of these contaminated sites.

It seems to us, though, the provisions in the Defense Authorization Act, is a good place to start.