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Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-06) today led 19 of her House colleagues in writing to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin urging the agency not to narrow the scope of PFAS reporting and recordkeeping under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), as the agency has proposed.

“When finalized in October 2023, the PFAS reporting rule marked a milestone in the federal government’s actions to address the PFAS contamination crisis. For the first time, manufacturers and importers were required to provide comprehensive information to EPA about PFAS manufactured or imported between 2011 and 2022, including data on uses, production volumes, byproducts, exposures, and existing information on health and environmental effects,” the lawmakers write. “This rule was designed to close information gaps that have hindered industry’s accountability to the public and EPA’s ability to understand the full scope of PFAS contamination and protect public health.”

“This EPA proposal to roll back these key provisions is deeply troubling. The proposed exemptions, which cover imported articles, PFAS in mixtures or products at concentrations of 0.1 percent or lower, certain byproducts and impurities, non-isolated intermediates, and chemicals used in research and development, would exclude large portions of PFAS manufacturing, and import activity from public reporting,” the lawmakers continue. “By allowing such exemptions, EPA is eroding the 2023 rule and depriving both regulators and communities of critical data on the presence and use of PFAS in consumer products, industrial supply chains, and our environment.”

“As you know, PFAS contamination is prevalent in communities nationwide, and research continues to show links between PFAS exposure and cancer, liver damage, immune suppression, and developmental harm. Transparency about where PFAS are being used, produced, or imported is necessary to prevent further harm. Weakening these reporting requirements would only serve to further industry’s strategy of hiding information from communities and regulators and ensure that working families continue to grapple with harms as a result of PFAS exposure,” the lawmakers conclude. “We urge EPA to reconsider this recent proposal and maintain the rule promulgated in 2023. The 2023 PFAS reporting rule provided a foundation for informed, science-based decision-making and reflected the commitment of Congress and EPA to tackle PFAS contamination head-on. Rolling back these standards will undercut years of progress and weaken an essential tool to understand and control PFAS exposure.”

View the full text of the letter here.

The letter is signed by Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi, André Carson, Troy A. Carter, Sr.

Ted W. Lieu, Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr., Mike Quigley, Rashida Tlaib, Madeleine Dean, Jared Huffman, Steve Cohen, Haley M. Stevens, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Chellie Pingree, Brittany Pettersen, Diana DeGette, LaMonica McIver, Darren Soto, Nanette Diaz Barragán, and John B. Larson.