House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03), House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Peter DeFazio (D-OR-04), House Rules Committee Chairman James McGovern (D-MA-02), and Co-Chair of the Congressional PFAS Task Force Daniel Kildee (D-MI-05) have sent a letter to the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan urging him to comprehensively address polyfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFAS) in the Agency’s forthcoming multi-year strategy. Specifically, the Members urged the EPA to fully address industrial discharges of these “forever chemicals” into the air and water.
“We are concerned the strategy currently being developed by the Agency will fail to meaningfully address industrial discharges of PFAS into the air and water,” wrote Representatives DeLauro, DeFazio, McGovern, and Kildee. “Any forthcoming strategy that fails to immediately designate these chemicals as hazardous substances, fails to accelerate efforts to set drinking water and groundwater cleanup standards, fails to address ongoing industrial releases of PFAS into the air and water, or fails to make sure PFAS wastes are properly disposed would also fail to meet the Agency’s mission to protect human health and the environment.”
“For decades, communities living downwind and downstream of industrial PFAS polluters have waited for action,” continued the Members. “We look forward to working with you to ensure they receive the protection they deserve.”
On October 6, more than 150 advocacy groups also sent a letter urging Administrator Regan to strengthen efforts to tackle industrial discharges of PFAS under the Clean Water Act.
Read the full text of the Members’ letter
