April 19, 2024

Ranking Members Larsen, Napolitano Applaud EPA Announcement on “Forever Chemicals"

Washington, D.C. – Today, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Rick Larsen (D-WA) and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA) issued the following statements after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it would designate PFAS and PFOA (known as “forever chemicals”) as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). By designating these two PFAS compounds, the EPA is broadening its ability to take legal action against companies that release these chemicals.

“Forever chemicals don’t belong in any community,” Ranking Member Larsen said. “Today’s EPA announcement ensures that polluters are held responsible for preventing the release of harmful chemicals into the environment. This is a measured and targeted designation that will clean up neighborhoods across the country and improve water quality for years to come.”
 
“We thank and applaud the EPA for taking another critical step to protect American families from PFAS contamination,” Ranking Member Napolitano said. “Our nation’s leading scientists have known that PFAS has had adverse impacts on human health for too long without effective government action. The Biden-Harris administration has restored the proper role of the EPA in using sound science to address emerging contaminants and provide for public health with today’s actions, while also ensuring that responsible parties pay for cleanup costs.”
 
Additional Information:
As a result of this announcement, the EPA is requiring companies to report the releases of PFAS and PFAO that are greater than one pound per 24 hours, requiring cleanup of federal facilities contaminated by these substances, and updating U.S. Department of Transportation regulations for transporting PFAS and PFAO.
 
Along with its announcement designating the two PFAS compounds, the EPA is also announcing a new enforcement policy that protects several public entities from litigation. These include community water systems, public airports and sewage treatment systems, municipal storm sewer systems and landfills, local fire departments, and farms that use biosolids.
 
More information can be found on the EPA’s website.


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