Letter to the Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and the Hon. Kevin McCarthy, Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives - Meijer, Pappas Lead Bipartisan Push for PFAS Funding in Infrastructure Bill

Letter

Dear Speaker Pelosi and Leader McCarthy:
The potential exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) for millions of Americans is one of the most pressing environmental and public health issues facing our nation today.
PFAS, a large group of toxic man-made chemicals, are typically used to help make consumer and industrial products resistant to water, grease, or stains. Their widespread use in applications such as food packaging, commercial household products, electronics manufacturing and firefighting foams has resulted in the contamination of water and soil across the United States. According to recent analysis, more than 200 million Americans could be drinking PFAS- contaminated drinking water.1
In addition to Congressional action and stronger regulatory action from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a nationwide effort will be needed to tackle this challenge, relying on the federal government, state and local communities and industry partners to ultimately assess and remediate these dangerous chemicals. While prior federal funding has not been sufficient to address the issue, we believe there are opportunities this Congress to make historic investments to address PFAS. Therefore, we support the highest amount of funding necessary in a final legislative infrastructure package to assess, monitor and remediate PFAS.
As part of federal PFAS funding, we also urge Congress to ensure that these dollars are appropriated and executed as part of a national, programmatic strategy led by the EPA. Such a comprehensive remediation framework would:
* Harness an extensive national data set to apply predictive analysis to accelerate science and understanding, creating innovative approaches to remediation and treatment.
* Provide water utilities and wastewater treatment facilities the resources they need to address PFAS contamination, without placing a financial burden on local ratepayers.
* Prioritize spending to immediately implement interventions that reduce PFAS contamination in vulnerable communities.
* Envision long-term goals that systematically regenerate our natural systems.
1 Environmental Working Group, Study: More Than 200 Million Americans Could Have Toxic PFAS in Their Drinking Water (14 October 2020), https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news-release/study-more-200-million- americans-could-have-toxic-pfas-their-drinking

PFAS affects thousands of communities across the nation, and Congress must act decisively to address the PFAS issue programmatically. Targeted research and innovation that combines activities across the country with environmental and public health agencies is the best way to accelerate science and maximize resources.
One area of particular concern is PFAS contamination at our military installations2, where preliminary estimates of DOD's remediation costs range from $2 billion to $14 billion3. A national PFAS strategy should ensure that our military bases and nearby communities are included as part of the process. The EPA and DOD should partner to ensure the needs of these communities are met as the PFAS cleanup process accelerates.
Congress should make historic investments in PFAS assessment and remediation in the upcoming infrastructure package. The funding is win-win, providing immediate jobs for the economy while cleaning up these dangerous chemicals. It would be a much-needed step toward protecting our communities and the environment from these "forever" chemicals. We look forward to working with you to ensure this funding is included in any infrastructure package taken up by Congress.