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WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12) released the following statement in response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new roadmap to address harmful forever chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). As the author of the bipartisan PFAS Action Act, Dingell has led efforts in Congress to protect Americans from PFAS chemicals.

“Most people in the United States have some level of dangerous, forever chemicals in their blood. It’s in the makeup you use every day, it’s in the sauce pan you cooked with last night, and it’s in our drinking water and public lands. We’ve known about PFAS and its dangerous effects for years, and today, the federal government made a commitment to the American people that these chemicals cannot be ignored any longer.

“I applaud EPA Administrator Regan and his entire team for developing a strategic, science-based strategy to clean up PFAS across the country. Now, with over 120,000 sites in the United States potentially exposing people to PFAS, it’s more important than ever that we make a comprehensive effort to clean up these chemicals. The roadmap serves as a significant step forward in addressing this crisis long-term. Setting a nationwide drinking water standard and especially designating the two most notorious chemicals, PFOS and PFOA, as hazardous substances under Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), as this roadmap proposed, will make a real difference.

“The announcement of this roadmap, however, does not alleviate the need to enact the PFAS Action Act. By enacting this comprehensive package, already passed by the House, the EPA can act even faster and take real steps to carry out this strategy that will protect public health safety, jump start clean up in our communities, and prevent further contamination in the environment. I will continue to work my friend and PFAS Action Act co-author Rep. Fred Upton and other colleagues on this important issue. It’s time for the Senate to act. Each of them have constituents whose lives are being impacted by these chemicals, and we can’t wait until more people are exposed to finally address this.”

Dingell has been a strong leader in addressing the PFAS crisis for many years, including authoring the comprehensive, bipartisan PFAS Action Act with Upton, which passed the House in July for the second time. This legislation would set national drinking water standards, designate PFAS as a hazardous substance under the EPA Superfund Program, and designate as a hazardous air pollutant under the Clean Air Act, as well as listing it under the Clean Water Act to place discharge limits on industrial releases of PFAS and provide $200 million annually for wastewater treatment. Dingell also led introduction of the bipartisan No PFAS in Cosmetics Act and is working to reintroduce legislation to ban PFAS in food containers.

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