Debbie Lesko: “I thank Representative Scanlon for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.…”

“I thank Representative Scanlon for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 535, the bill before us today, lays out an aggressive, antiscience regulatory framework for addressing perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS, under several environmental statutes, including the Safe Drinking Water Act; the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, also known as CERCLA; the Clean Air Act; and the Toxic Substances Control Act. This is an unprecedented way of conducting science, counteracting decades of U.S. environmental policy and likely compromising public safety, public health, environmental protection, and national defense efforts. This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, to designate all perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl chemical compounds as hazardous substances within 1 year of enactment of this bill. Since the enactment of CERCLA, Congress has never--let me repeat, never-- statutorily mandated a substance's designation. That designation shall be left to the regulatory process, allowing for notice, public input, and scientific review and analysis. Designation as a hazardous substance under CERCLA triggers a wide variety of notifications and response actions.…”