Baldwin Calling on EPA to Deliver on Promises Made in PFAS Action Plan
One Year after EPA Pledged to Act on PFAS Exposure, Key Parts of the Strategy Not Yet Implemented
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin joined a group of 30 Senators, led by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), today in a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler requesting an updated timeline for when the EPA will implement commitments made in the agency’s plan to combat exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The EPA released its plan – the PFAS Action Plan – one year ago today and has yet to implement many of the commitments outlined in the strategy.
The Senators wrote, “As you are aware, communities across the country are struggling to respond to the widespread issue of PFAS contamination. The human health risks from this class of chemicals, which include birth defects, various forms of cancer, and immune system dysfunction, are still being examined, and the uncertainty has caused great concern among our constituents.”
In their letter, the Senators went on to address other parts of the plan that have not been prioritized, including important remediation efforts to help expedite cleanup of PFAS contamination under the Superfund law. They wrote, “Yet, despite then-Administrator Scott Pruitt committing the EPA to designating these materials [PFOA and PFOS] as hazardous substances in May 2018, the EPA has not even sent a proposal to the Office of Management & Budget for interagency review, let alone published it for public comment.”
The Senators closed their letter with a request that the EPA provide an update on the status of every commitment made in the PFAS Action Plan, as well as an update on the timeline for executing the priorities included in the strategy.
They concluded, “The health and environmental threats posed by PFAS are significant. Communities across America demand that the EPA help protect them from PFAS exposure. They deserve the confidence that their water is safe and free of harmful levels of PFAS contamination.”
The letter is available here.
In addition to Senators Baldwin, Shaheen and Gillibrand, the letter was also signed by Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Tom Carper (D-DE), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Bob Casey (D-PA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Jack Reed (D-RI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Angus King (I-ME), Ed Markey (D-MA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Patty Murray (D-WA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Chris Coons (D-DE) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA).
An online version of this release is available here.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.
More about the PFAS Problem
- Gov. Evers Slams Republicans for Continued Delays Releasing Critical Funds to Fight PFAS Statewide, Stabilize Healthcare Industry in Western Wisconsin - Gov. Tony Evers - Mar 11th, 2024
- Wisconsin DNR Update On WMC And Leather Rich, Inc V. DNR - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources - Mar 8th, 2024
- State Appeals Court Blocks DNR’s Regulation of PFAS - Danielle Kaeding - Mar 6th, 2024
- Evers Seeks Compromise on Republican PFAS Bill - Danielle Kaeding - Feb 27th, 2024
- Gov. Evers Urges Lawmakers to Support Compromise to Release $125 Million to Fight PFAS Contaminants Statewide - Gov. Tony Evers - Feb 27th, 2024
- PFAS Bill Puts Burden of PFAS Cleanup on Wisconsin Taxpayers - Clean Wisconsin - Feb 26th, 2024
- PFAS ‘poison pill’ bill SB 312 is bad legislation deserving of veto - Wisconsin Conservation Voters - Feb 26th, 2024
- Legislature Passes PFAS Bill, But Evers Likely To Veto It - Danielle Kaeding - Feb 22nd, 2024
- Republican Proposal Moves Forward PFAS Standards - Danielle Kaeding - Feb 19th, 2024
- New PFAS legislation would allow critical PFAS groundwater standards to progress - Wisconsin Conservation Voters - Feb 7th, 2024
Read more about PFAS Problem here
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