Washington, D.C. -On Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2019, Rep. Harley Rouda, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment, will hold a hearing on “The Devil They Knew: PFAS Contamination and the Need for Corporate Accountability, Part III."
WHERE: 2154 Rayburn House Office Building
WHEN: Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2019
TIME: 2:00 p.m. EST
The hearing will broadcast here.
PURPOSE
This hearing will be a follow up to the Subcommittee hearing on July 24, 2019, which focused on the human impact of industrial contamination of PFAS chemicals and steps state governments are taking to hold industry accountable for their past efforts to conceal the science linking PFAS chemicals to health risks.
BACKGROUND
* Key documents and facts demonstrating DuPont’s and 3M’s knowledge of PFAS dangers have emerged due to litigation brought by two witnesses, Rob Bilott and Lori Swanson, the former Minnesota Attorney General.
* Chemical companies are using several tactics to evade liability for the costs of PFAS- related contamination.
* According to the nonprofit Environmental Working Group, at least 475 industrial facilities could be discharging PFAS into the water.
* This July, the House of Representatives passed an amended version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) (H.R. 2500), which included PFAS-related provisions, including a provision that designates PFAS as a “hazardous substances" under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). The current Senate version of the NDAA does not include the CERCLA provision.
WITNESSES
Panel One
Robert A. Bilott
Partner
Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP
Lori Swanson
Former Attorney General
State of Minnesota
Panel Two
Denise R. Rutherford
Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs
The 3M Company
Paul Kirsch
President of Fluoroproducts
The Chemours Company
Daryl Roberts
Chief Operations & Engineering Officer
DuPont de Nemours, Inc.
