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WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Representatives Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Fred Upton (R-MI) applauded the passage of their bipartisan PFAS Action Act in the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 241 to 183. This legislation aims to protect all Americans and our environment from harmful forever chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) by setting national drinking water standards, designating the chemical as hazardous so the Environmental Protection Agency can clean up sites in Michigan and across the country, and provide $200 million in funding for water utilities and wastewater treatment. The bill now awaits consideration in the U.S. Senate.

“Today, Congress made clear once again to the American people that clean drinking water and combatting the PFAS crisis is a priority,” said Rep. Dingell. “We’ve known about these harmful forever chemicals for decades, and it’s time we have federal policies in place to combat these threats to our air, our land, our water, and our communities. I am grateful to have my close friend and colleague Representative Fred Upton as a strong partner in this fight – it’s true, it’s an American issue not a partisan issue when we’re talking about essentials like clean drinking water and environmental protections.”

“Clean drinking water is a top priority for Southwest Michigan families and communities, but dangerous PFAS contamination – like we saw in Parchment a number of years ago – is a real threat to our freshwater systems,” said Rep. Upton. “It’s clear that we need an all-hands-on-deck approach to actively prevent chemical spills, safeguard human health, and protect our environment. I am proud to have led this effort with my colleague Debbie Dingell to accomplish these goals and I’m especially glad to see the House pass this important legislation with strong bipartisan support.”

“No one should have to worry about the safety of their water,” said Scott Faber, Environmental Working Group’s senior vice president of government affairs. “The PFAS Action Act sends the EPA a clear signal to turn off the tap of PFAS pollution and move swiftly to set a national PFAS drinking water standard. The deadlines in this bill are crucial to ensure that EPA takes the necessary steps to reduce PFAS releases into our air, land and water; to filter PFAS out of our tap water; and to clean up legacy PFAS pollution.”

PFAS chemicals are man-made chemicals that have so far been found in the drinking water of more than 2,000 communities. PFAS chemicals are persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic. These chemicals have been linked to harmful human health effects, including cancer, reproductive and developmental harms, and weakened immune systems. 

Dingell and Upton introduced the PFAS Action Act package 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.