[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 113 (Monday, July 8, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S4686]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                     Nomination of Peter C. Wright

  Madam President, Ohioans in the Miami Valley are living with the 
presence of toxic chemicals known as PFAS that are contaminating their 
drinking water, and the people have been forced to pay for water 
treatment costs without their getting the help they need.
  PFAS chemicals are contaminating water supplies all over the country. 
It is why Senators on both sides of the aisle have called on the EPA to 
officially designate PFAS chemicals as the hazardous substances they 
are so that communities like Dayton can access the Federal funds they 
need for cleanup and can hold polluters accountable.
  The administration, similar to what the Democratic leader just said, 
has dragged its feet. Peter Wright has been at the EPA for a year, and 
under his leadership, the Agency has released a PFAS Action Plan that, 
frankly, includes very little action. Now the Agency expects the Senate 
to reward this action by confirming him to oversee the EPA's Superfund 
Program.
  We know the influence of oil and gas. We know the influence of 
polluters in this administration. We know they pulled out of the Paris 
accord, which almost every major country in the world agreed to. We 
know this administration has tried to compromise on mileage standards. 
There is an overwhelming agreement in this country that the government 
should not be on the side of the polluters and oil industries but 
should be on the side of public health. Someone who has repeatedly 
failed to hold polluters accountable for the damage they have done to 
the drinking water in Dayton and across the country has no business 
serving in a leadership role within the EPA. I will say it again. 
Someone who has repeatedly failed to hold polluters accountable for the 
damage they have done to drinking water in Dayton and across the 
country has no business serving as a leader within the EPA.
  It is not a partisan issue. This year, I joined a bipartisan group of 
colleagues in introducing legislation to require the Environmental 
Protection Agency to step up and declare those chemicals as hazardous 
substances. Last year, I demanded the government release its Federal 
study of PFAS chemicals and how safe or unsafe they really are. The 
residents of Dayton and the residents of other communities shouldn't 
have to worry about the safety of their water supplies. Ohioans deserve 
answers from the Environmental Protection Agency. The government is 
there to protect them.
  I thank my colleague Senator Carper for his leadership on this issue.
  I urge my colleagues to oppose Peter Wright's nomination--another 
Trump administration official who fronts and shills for the oil 
industry, for the polluters, and for people who shouldn't have roles in 
government. We should demand a nominee who will take this job seriously 
when it comes to protecting the water supply in Dayton, OH, and across 
this country.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. JONES. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.