WHAT:
The Subcommittee on Environment, chaired by Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL), held a hearing today on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are part of a group of chemicals used for decades in manufacturing, firefighting, and thousands of common household and other consumer products.
WHY:
“This hearing is about starting the dialogue on PFAS. It means taking stock of what the government knows about PFAS, what efforts to contain its contamination have promise, and what is preventing people from being helped with cleanup, or avoid contamination of their air, soil, and water. It’s time to figure out what can be done right now and what needs to be done to respond appropriately to legitimate risks created by PFAS contamination in the environment," said #SubEnvironment Chairman Shimkus.
“On my way back to Washington at the end of last week I went, at the request of Mr. Upton, to Michigan to learn more firsthand from him about this horrible situation in his district and his state. I think it’s really important we got right on this hearing and I appreciate everyone’s input," said Full Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR).
WHO:
* Peter Grevatt, Director, Office of Groundwater and Drinking Water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Opening Statement )
* Maureen Sullivan, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Environment, U.S. Department of Defense (Opening Statement )
* Lisa Daniels, Director, Bureau of Safe Drinking Water, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection on behalf of the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (Opening Statement )
* Sandeep Burman, Manager, Site Remediation and Redevelopment, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency on behalf of the Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials (Opening Statement )
* Carol Isaacs, Director, Michigan PFAS Action Response Team, Executive Office of Governor Rick Snyder (Opening Statement )
* Erik D. Olson, Senior Director, Health and Food, Healthy People & Thriving Communities Program, Natural Resources Defense Council (Opening Statement )
* Emily Donovan, Co-Founder, Clean Cape Fear (Opening Statement )
KEY MOMENTS:
#SubEnergy Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) recounted how a community in his district spread the word to residents after discovering PFAS water contamination because the town lacked the proper alert capabilities. He said, “We knew that fourteen hundred parts per trillion - 20 times the standard - that they should not be using that water right away. People were ready to go door-to-door to tell folks in this small community, ‘Don’t put the water out for your pet, don’t use it for infant formula, don’t make it for coffee in the morning, disconnect your ice maker, no water for cooking.’ And thanks to the media, … the word was out right away to stop. And for a month we literally were giving bottled water to everyone in those two communities - the city of Parchment and Cooper Township. … As the governor said this is a textbook case of what ought to happen. Getting the word out, trying to figure out what is the next step, but immediately take care of the residents that were there."
#SubEnvironment Chairman Shimkus spoke about H.R. 3387, the Drinking Water System Improvement Act, which passed the committee in July 2017. He said, “A little over a year ago, our committee unanimously reported a bill to reauthorize and modernize the Safe Drinking Water Act to help water systems comply with federal mandates and keep their water safe. The centerpiece of that bill was a $5 billion, eight-year authorization of the drinking water state revolving loan fund. We’re quite proud of that bill and I want to explore how that bill can help with PFAS contamination."
Rep. Shimkus asked Dr. Grevatt if fund could help with infrastructure upgrades such as treatment, well upgrades, or distribution upgrades to help address levels of PFAS. Dr. Grevatt replied, “Yes certainly that fund can be used for those purposes."
Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) discussed a recent EPA community engagement event in his district where the EPA heard directly from Fayetteville residents who were affected by PFAS contamination after a toxic chemical called GenX had been found in their drinking water. He asked Dr. Grevatt when the toxicity value for GenX will be released in order to develop a public health advisory. Dr. Grevatt responded, “We’re very close to this now and we expect in the coming weeks to have that available in draft for public review and comment."
RESOURCES:
The Majority Memorandum, witness testimony, and an archived webcast are available online HERE.
