​Reps. Pappas and Meijer Lead Bipartisan Push for PFAS Funding in Infrastructure Bill

Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) and Congressman Peter Meijer (MI-03) led a bipartisan letter with 26 of their House colleagues this week calling on Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy to ensure that funding to adequately assess, monitor and remediate PFAS contamination across the country is included in a final infrastructure package.

Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is one of the most pressing environmental and public health issues facing our nation and impacts millions of Americans.

In the letter, the Representatives wrote: "While prior federal funding has not been sufficient to address the issue, we believe there are opportunities this Congress to make historic investments to address PFAS. Therefore, we support the highest amount of funding necessary in a final legislative infrastructure package to assess, monitor and remediate PFAS."

Specifically, the Representatives are urging Congress to ensure that federal dollars are appropriated and executed as part of a national, programmatic strategy led by the EPA. This would include:

• Harnessing an extensive national data set to apply predictive analysis to accelerate science and understanding, creating innovative approaches to remediation and treatment.
• Providing water utilities and wastewater treatment facilities the resources they need to address PFAS contamination, without placing a financial burden on local ratepayers.
• Prioritizing spending to immediately implement interventions that reduce PFAS contamination in vulnerable communities.
• Envisioning long-term goals that systematically regenerate our natural systems.

This national PFAS strategy should ensure that U.S. military bases and nearby communities are included as part of the process, with the EPA and DOD partnering to ensure the needs of these communities are met as the PFAS cleanup process accelerates.

The Representatives concluded: "Congress should make historic investments in PFAS assessment and remediation in the upcoming infrastructure package. The funding is win-win, providing immediate jobs for the economy while cleaning up these dangerous chemicals. It would be a much-needed step toward protecting our communities and the environment from these "forever" chemicals. We look forward to working with you to ensure this funding is included in any infrastructure package taken up by Congress."

Click here to read the full letter.

Background:

PFAS, a large group of toxic man-made chemicals, are typically used to help make consumer and industrial products resistant to water, grease, or stains. Their widespread use in applications such as food packaging, commercial household products, electronics manufacturing and firefighting foams has resulted in the contamination of water and soil across the United States. According to recent analysis, more than 200 million Americans could be drinking PFAS- contaminated drinking water.

In April, Congressman Pappas helped introduce legislation to address the harmful impact of PFAS contamination in New Hampshire communities. The PFAS Action Act contains a key provision by Congressman Pappas based on the Clean Water Standards for PFAS Act, which he authored. This will require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish national drinking water standards for select PFAS chemicals, review PFAS discharges under the Clean Water Act, and issue regulations to address harmful discharges of PFAS into our nation's waterways. It will also empower EPA to hold polluters accountable by ensuring that they are not sending harmful PFAS directly to our publicly owned treatment works. Furthermore, the legislation authorizes a grant program to assist publicly owned treatment works in overseeing compliance by industrial source polluters covered by these new regulations.