Today, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) issued the following statement after EPA released new drinking water health advisories for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances including PFAS, PFOS, GenX, and PFBS chemicals:
"Today's announcement of new drinking water health advisories is welcome news for communities that need to be able to accurately determine whether or not their water is safe. But the EPA continues to fall short of the action our families need by failing to take meaningful action to keep these toxic ‘forever chemicals' out of our water in the first place. No industry should be given a free pass to poison our water, and no family should ever have to wonder whether their drinking water is safe when they turn on the tap. My Clean Water Standards for PFAS Act would finally take action to hold polluters accountable, establish proactive limits for PFAS discharges, set water quality criteria, and support communities with contaminated water. It is essential that EPA finally set these limits, and I'll keep fighting to pass this legislation until they do so."
In May, Pappas reintroduced the bicameral Clean Water Standards for PFAS 2.0 Act alongside U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), which would further regulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) by setting deadlines for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop water quality criteria and limits on industrial PFAS discharges into water and to water treatment plants.
Pappas introduced a previous version of this legislation last year which was praised by New Hampshire advocates. Last summer, the House voted to pass the PFAS Action Act of 2021, a comprehensive piece of legislation that seeks to limit the impacts of PFAS contamination on our communities and our environment which contained provisions introduced by Pappas based on his Clean Water Standards for PFAS Act.
The bill includes nine priority industry categories to further expand on current EPA standards. These priority industry categories include: Organic Chemicals, Plastics and Synthetic Fibers (OCPSF); pulp, paper, and paperboard; textile mills; electroplating; metal finishing; leather tanning and finishing; paint formulating; electrical and electrical components; and plastics molding and forming.
The bill would also authorize $200 million per year in grants to assist Publicly Owned Treatment Works with program implementation, which would be appropriated through Fiscal Years 2022-2026.
Original source can be found here.
