CONGRESSMAN PAPPAS STATEMENT ON NDAA CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT

Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) released the following statement after reviewing the final National Defense Authorization Act of 2019 Conference Committee Report:

"First District voters sent me to Congress to help change how Washington works and get things done," said Congressman Chris Pappas. "PFAS contamination is a real threat to families in my district, and I'm disappointed certain provisions to protect public health and our environment were abandoned by negotiators of both parties. We need action now, and I will continue to work with colleagues to pass legislation that will bring about a stronger federal response."

"I worked alongside my colleagues for months to help craft an NDAA that supplies much-needed funding to our military, keeps our country safe, and corrects a long-standing inequity for our federal workers at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. I am also proud that several PFAS-related provisions did make it into the final legislation, but Congress should have seized the opportunity to go much further in protecting families and communities from these ‘forever chemicals.' Ultimately I will vote to approve the 2019 Defense Authorization Act so that our military receives the support it needs, and I will not stop in pursuing stronger action on PFAScontamination."

BACKGROUND:

In September 2019, Congressman Chris Pappas was appointed by his colleagues to serve as a Conferee to help negotiate the FY20 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The Conference Committee, made up of a select group of House and Senate members, was charged with merging the House and Senate versions of the bill into a final version.

The Houses-passed National Defense Authorization Act included several provisions Congressman Pappas introduced and cosponsored to protect the health of our servicemembers and the communities that support them by holding polluters of toxic PFAS chemicals accountable, creating a clearinghouse of information, and banning the DOD's use of PFAS by 2024.

Additionally, the final authorization includes language that Congressman Pappas championed to correct a long-standing inequity for our federal workers at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and other shipyards, who were left without the promotion and pay there were promised due to the suspension of a longstanding program.

The NDAA includes provisions that would:

• Create an online clearinghouse for PFAS information
• Phase out military use of PFAS in firefighting foam by 2024.
• End the use of PFAS firefighting foams in training exercises, and allow blood tests for fire fighters exposed to PFAS
• Require development of interagency federal research strategy to deal with emerging containments
• Require EPA to finalize significant new use rule to require notifications before industry plans to begin new manufacturing processes using this family of PFAS
• Requires EPA to add PFOS and PFOA to Toxic Substances Control Act, which requires industry to report amounts they are releasing into the environment.
• Allows National Guard to access Defense Environmental Remediation Account funds, for five years to address PFOS and PFOA exposure and contamination.