[Senate Report 119-61]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 149
119th Congress } { Report
SENATE
1st Session } { 119-61
_______________________________________________________________________
CONTAMINATED WELLS RELOCATION ACT
__________
R E P O R T
of the
COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND
TRANSPORTATION
on
S. 606
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
September 8, 2025.--Ordered to be printed
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U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
59-010 WASHINGTON : 2025
SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
one hundred nineteenth congress
first session
TED CRUZ, Texas, Chairman
JOHN THUNE, South Dakota MARIA CANTWELL, Washington
ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota
DEB FISCHER, Nebraska BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii
JERRY MORAN, Kansas EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts
DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska GARY C. PETERS, Michigan
MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin
TODD YOUNG, Indiana TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois
TED BUDD, North Carolina JACKY ROSEN, Nevada
ERIC SCHMITT, Missouri BEN RAY LUJAN, New Mexico
JOHN CURTIS, Utah JOHN W. HICKENLOOPER, Colorado
BERNIE MORENO, Ohio JOHN FETTERMAN, Pennsylvania
TIM SHEEHY, Montana ANDY KIM, New Jersey
SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia LISA BLUNT ROCHESTER, Delaware
CYNTHIA M. LUMMIS, Wyoming
Brad Grantz, Majority Staff Director
Lila Harper Helms, Democratic Staff Director
Calendar No. 149
119th Congress } { Report
SENATE
1st Session } { 119-61
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CONTAMINATED WELLS RELOCATION ACT
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September 8, 2025.--Ordered to be printed
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Mr. Cruz, from the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 606]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressonal Budget Office]
The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, to
which was referred the bill (S. 606) to authorize the
Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration to reimburse the Town of Chincoteague, Virginia,
for costs directly associated with the removal and replacement
of certain drinking water wells, having considered the same,
reports favorably thereon without amendment and recommends that
the bill do pass.
PURPOSE OF THE BILL
The purpose of S. 606 is to authorize the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Administrator to
reimburse Chincoteague, Virginia, for costs related to
replacing specific drinking water wells.
BACKGROUND AND NEEDS
The Town of Chincoteague, Virginia, has been addressing
drinking water contamination issues stemming from per- and
polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) detected in its wells located
on NASA's Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) property. These PFAs,
sometimes referred to as forever chemicals, were introduced
into the environment through firefighting foam used during
training exercises and aircraft fire responses between the late
1970s and 1998, when the WFF site was under U.S. Navy
control.\1\ In 2017, PFAS were detected in several of
Chincoteague's drinking water wells, prompting NASA to halt
pumping from these sources and provide the town with treated
water from its own system. By April 2021, NASA had implemented
a groundwater treatment system utilizing granular activated
carbon to remove PFAS, ensuring the town's drinking water met
Environmental Protection Agency standards.\2\
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\1\``Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances at NASA Wallops,'' NASA,
April 24, 2024, https://www.nasa.gov/wallops/pfas/.
\2\``NASA's Efforts to Address PFAS Are Making a Difference,''
NASA, July 2023, https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/
wallopspfas-july2023.pdf.
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To establish a permanent solution, Chincoteague purchased
land south of Wallops Island for relocating its wells. However,
NASA requires specific legislative authority to reimburse the
town for relocation costs.\3\
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\3\Office of U.S. Representative Jen Kiggans, ``Kiggans Fights to
Provide Safe Drinking Water to Chincoteague,'' February 20, 2025,
https://kiggans.house.gov/posts/kiggans-fights-to-provide-safe-
drinking-water-to-chincoteague.
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LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
S. 606, the Contaminated Wells Relocation Act, was
introduced on February 18, 2025, by Senator Kaine (for himself
and Senator Warner) and was referred to the Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate. On April
30, 2025, the Committee met in open Executive Session and, by
voice vote, ordered S. 606 reported favorably without
amendment.
H.R. 1419, a House companion bill to S. 606, was introduced
on February 18, 2025, by Representative Kiggans (for herself
and Representative Subramanyam) and was referred to the
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of
Representatives.
118th Congress
S. 5300, the Contaminated Wells Relocation Act, was
introduced on November 12, 2024, by Senator Kaine (for himself
and Senator Warner) and was referred to the Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate. On
December 16, 2024, S. 5300 passed the Senate without amendment
by unanimous consent.
ESTIMATED COSTS
In accordance with paragraph 11(a) of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate and section 403 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee provides the
following cost estimate, prepared by the Congressional Budget
Office:
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Summary of legislation: On April 30, 2025, the Senate
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation ordered 17
bills to be reported. This document provides estimates for 3 of
those bills, specified below:
S. 606 would allow the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration (NASA) to enter into an
agreement to reimburse the Town of Chincoteague,
Virginia, for relocating wells for drinking water from
NASA-administered property to the town.
S. 1081 would expand NASA's requirements for
reporting to the Congress.
S. 1437 would require NASA to establish a
program to collect and disseminate remote-sensing data
and to report to the Congress on that program.
Estimated Federal cost: The costs of the legislation fall
within budget function 250 (general science, space, and
technology).
Basis of estimate: For this estimate, CBO assumes that each
bill will be enacted near the end of fiscal year 2025 and that
the estimated amounts will be available each year. This cost
estimate does not include any effects of interactions among the
bills. If all three bills were combined and enacted as a single
piece of legislation, the effects could be different from the
sum of the separate estimates, although CBO expects that any
differences would be small.
S. 606, the Contaminated Wells Relocation Act, would
authorize the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to
enter into an agreement with the Town of Chincoteague,
Virginia, to reimburse the costs of removing and relocating
three wells for drinking water that are currently located on
property administered by NASA. The bill would require NASA to
submit the agreement to the Congress within 18 months of
enactment. Using information from the agency on the historical
cost for similar activities and adjusting for inflation, CBO
estimates that the agreement would cost $18 million over the
2025-2030 period. Any related spending would be subject to the
availability of appropriated funds.
S. 1081, the Comprehensive NASA Reporting Act of 2025,
would require the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
to provide the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation and the House Committee on Science, Space, and
Technology with copies of any final reports or notifications
that it submits to any other Congressional committee or office
within 10 days of the original submission. The bill also would
require NASA to provide to the Congress a copy of any
international agreement involving outer space activities within
15 days of the United States becoming a signatory to that
agreement. Based on the cost of similar activities, CBO
estimates that implementing the bill's reporting requirements
would cost less than $500,000 over the 2025-2030 period. Any
related spending would be subject to the availability of
appropriated funds.
S. 1437, the ASCEND Act, would codify the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration's Commercial SmallSat Data
Acquisition pilot program, which identifies commercial sources
for acquiring remote-sensing data and imagery of the Earth.
Data collected would be disseminated internally, to other
federal agencies, and to researchers. The bill would require
NASA to report to the Congress within 180 days of enactment and
annually thereafter on all agreements established under the
program. Based on the cost of similar activities, CBO estimates
that implementing the bill's reporting requirements would cost
less than $500,000 over the 2025-2030 period. Any related
spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated
funds.
Pay-As-You-Go considerations: The Statutory Pay-As-You-Go
Act of 2010 establishes budget-reporting and enforcement
procedures for legislation affecting direct spending or
revenues. None of the bills would affect direct spending or
revenues; thus, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
Increase in long-term net direct spending and deficits: CBO
estimates that enacting S. 606, S. 1081, and S. 1437 would not
increase net direct spending or deficits in any of the four
consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2036.
Mandates: None of the bills contain intergovernmental or
private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates
Reform Act.
Estimate prepared by: Federal costs: Willow Latham-Proenca;
Mandates: Brandon Lever.
Estimate reviewed by: Ann E. Futrell, Chief, Natural and
Physical Resources Cost Estimates Unit; Kathleen FitzGerald,
Chief, Public and Private Mandates Unit; H. Samuel Papenfuss,
Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.
Estimate approved by: Phillip L. Swagel, Director,
Congressional Budget Office.
REGULATORY IMPACT STATEMENT
In accordance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee provides the
following evaluation of the regulatory impact of the
legislation, as reported:
Number of Persons Covered
S. 606 would authorize NASA to reimburse the Town of
Chincoteague, Virginia, to remove and replace drinking water
wells that were contaminated by per- and polyfluoroalkyl
substances. Chincoteague, Virginia, has an estimated population
of about 3,200 citizens that may have been impacted by the
water wells relocation and remediation efforts.
Economic Impact
S. 606 is not expected to have an adverse impact on the
Nation's economy. The legislation would authorize NASA to
negotiate and fund the well relocation.
Privacy
S. 606 would not impact the personal privacy of
individuals.
Paperwork
The Committee anticipates a negligible increase in
paperwork burdens. S. 606 would require the Administrator of
NASA to submit a water wells relocation plan to the Committee
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of
Representatives within 18 months of enactment. The Committee
does not anticipate paperwork burdens for private individuals
or businesses resulting from the passage of this legislation.
CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING
In compliance with paragraph 4(b) of rule XLIV of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee provides that no
provisions contained in the bill, as reported, meet the
definition of congressionally directed spending items under the
rule.
SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS
Section 1. Short title.
This section would provide that the bill may be cited as
the ``Contaminated Wells Relocation Act''.
Section 2. Drinking water well replacement for Chincoteague, Virginia.
This section would authorize the NASA Administrator to
enter into an agreement with the Town of Chincoteague,
Virginia, to reimburse the town for the costs associated with
removing and relocating contaminated drinking water wells
currently administered by NASA for a period of up to 5 years.
An agreement would be required to include a provision for the
removal and relocation of three remaining wells; a description
of the location where the wells will be relocated to; and a
current estimated cost. It would require NASA to submit the
agreement to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science,
Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives within 18
months of the law's enactment.
CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW
In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee states that the
bill as reported would make no change to existing law.
[all]