[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 129 (Thursday, July 22, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E798]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        PFAS ACTION ACT OF 2021

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 21, 2021

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2467, 
the ``PFAS Action Act of 2021'', which is comprehensive legislation to 
regulate Per- and poly- fluoroalkyl substances (``PFAS'') chemicals, 
clean up contamination, and protect public health.
  H.R. 2467 will provide the protections impacted communities need 
quickly and for the long term.
  Specifically, this bill will require Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA) to use tools under several environmental statutes to:
  Stem the flow of PFAS contamination into the environment by requiring 
cleanup of contamination sites, setting air emission limits, 
prohibiting unsafe incineration of PFAS, and limiting the introduction 
of new PFAS chemicals into commerce;
  Identify health risks by requiring comprehensive health testing for 
all PFAS, reporting of PFAS releases, and monitoring for PFAS in 
drinking water;
  Inform communities of PFAS risks by requiring the EPA Administrator 
to develop a risk-communication strategy and establish a website with 
information on testing of household well water; and
  Limit human exposure to PFAS by requiring a drinking water standard 
for PFAS that protects public health, including the health of 
vulnerable subpopulations like pregnant women, infants, and children, 
and holding polluters accountable.
  The legislation also provides grants to impacted water systems, 
creates a voluntary label for cookware that is PFAS free, provides 
guidance for first responders to limit their exposures, and requires 
effluent limitations and pretreatment standards for PFAS introduction 
or discharge.
  Known as PFAS, for per- and polytluoroalkyl substances, the chemicals 
in this class of approximately 5,000 substances have become notorious 
as much for their potential danger as for their perseverance.
  Because the chemical bonds that hold the compounds together don't 
break down easily, they last a very long time--a reality that has led 
to a commonly used name for the group: ``Forever chemicals.''
  PFAS compounds are also ubiquitous and used in a range of products 
from food-delivery boxes to nonstick cookware to stain-resistant 
clothing.
  But one of the most troubling routes to PFAS exposure is drinking 
water that has been contaminated by discharges from factories and other 
facilities.
  PFAS chemicals are an urgent public health threat, because they are 
persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic.
  PFAS have long been linked with adverse health effects including 
cancer, immune system effects, infertility, impaired child development, 
high cholesterol, and thyroid disease.
  PFAS have been detected in the drinking water of more than 1,400 
communities in 49 states, according to research by the PFAS Project at 
Northeastern University in Boston and the Environmental Working Group 
(EWG).
  According to monitoring by the EPA, millions of Americans are exposed 
to unsafe levels of PFAS through their drinking water.
  Military families and communities are at especially high risk.
  A 2018 UCS analysis of 131 U.S. military facilities showed that 
nearly all had significant PFAS contamination of groundwater or 
drinking water, some with levels over 100,000 times the safe limit as 
determined by the most recent draft scientific assessment from the 
Department of Health and Human Services.
  Included in this analysis was the Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base 
in Houston, Texas, which tested at levels of 61,000 parts per trillion.
  Clear and swift action from Congress is needed to address the PFAS 
crisis, and we need an all-hands-on-deck effort to protect both human 
health and our environment.
  This bipartisan legislation will ensure we're treating PFAS as a 
hazardous chemical and giving our agencies the resources to clean up 
sites for the betterment of our communities.
  I urge all members to join me in voting for H.R. 2467, the ``PFAS 
Action Act of 2021.''

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