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WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Congressman Fred Upton (R-MI) applauded the passage of their bill to protect all Americans and our environment from harmful forever chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s markup. The PFAS Action Act now awaits final consideration by the U.S. House of Representatives.

“PFAS is an urgent public health and environmental threat – it’s affecting our drinking water, our health, and our environment in Michigan and across the U.S. The number of contamination sites nationwide is growing at an alarming rate, including our military bases, and we can’t wait any longer to address this,” said Rep. Dingell. “This passage in the full Energy and Commerce Committee is a large step forward to continue fighting the PFAS crisis, protecting the American people and our environment, and ultimately enacting this critical bipartisan legislation.”

“PFAS contamination represents a clear and present danger to Michigan families, and what happened in Parchment a number of years ago is proof that we need an all-hands-on-deck effort to protect both human health and our environment,” said Rep. Upton. “Clean drinking water is a top priority for communities in Southwest Michigan and across the country – period. I’m encouraged to see this important bipartisan legislation pass out of the Energy and Commerce Committee today and urge my colleagues – both Democrats and Republicans – to support it moving forward.”

PFAS chemicals are man-made forever chemicals that have so far been found in the drinking water of more than 2,000 communities. These chemicals have been linked to harmful human health effects, including cancer, reproductive and developmental harms, and weaken immune systems. The PFAS Action Act establishes a national drinking water standard for select PFAS chemicals, designates as hazardous to allow the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to clean up contaminated sites in Michigan and across the country, as well as list under the Clean Water Act, designates as a hazardous air pollutant, limits industrial discharges, requires comprehensive PFAS health testing, creates a voluntary label for PFAS in cookware, and provides $200 million annually to assist water utilities and wastewater treatment.

Dingell and Upton reintroduced the PFAS Action Act in April of this year. In January 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives took bold action and passed the PFAS Action Act by a vote of 247-159, including 24 Republicans supporting the package.

You can read a copy of the PFAS Action Act here.

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