House Passes Historic Package to Address PFAS Chemical Contamination

PFAS Action Act Prioritizes Clean Up of Contaminated PFAS Sites

Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05), Chief Deputy Whip of the House Democratic Caucus and co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional PFAS Task Force, today applauded action in the U.S. House of Representatives to pass H.R. 535, the PFAS Action Act of 2019. The bill passed by a vote of 247-159.

"The PFAS Action Act is urgently needed to help clean up harmful PFAS chemicals in Michigan and across the country," Congressman Kildee said. "Many communities, including Oscoda in my district, have for years been dealing with the impact of these forever chemicals. Cleaning up PFAS chemicals and addressing this growing public health threat should not be a partisan issue. I am proud to have worked with both Republicans and Democrats on this legislation, and as co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional PFAS Task Force, I will continue to push legislation to address PFAS."

The PFAS Action Act would:

• Protect drinking water from PFAS by requiring the EPA to create a drinking water standard for PFOA and PFOS within two years.
• Protect the Great Lakes, rivers and streams from PFAS pollution by listing PFOS and PFOA under the Clean Water Act within two years.
• Protect our air from PFAS by making PFOS and PFOA hazardous air pollutants under the Clean Air Act.
• Require corporate polluters clean up their PFAS contamination by listing PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances under the CERCLA Act or the Superfund Law.

Included in the PFAS Action Act is a bipartisan amendment Congressman Kildee authored, along with Congressman Mike Gallagher (WI-08) and Congressman Ron Kind (WI-02), that would promote transparency and streamline EPA resources to help people potentially exposed to PFAS and other contaminants better understand what their water testing results mean. In the U.S., 43 million people get their drinking water from well water that is currently unregulated.

Comprised of both Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Bipartisan PFAS Task Force works to more urgently address the public health threat of PFAS to better protect communities from the harmful effects of these dangerous chemicals.

Congressman Kildee has worked with Republicans and Democrats at all levels of government to address PFAS contamination. Kildee has previously introduced legislation to speed up set a national drinking water standard for PFAS,clean-up efforts and detect PFAS contamination at other sites across the country.

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