Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I want to say, in support of the position that was adopted by my friend, Mr. Shimkus, there are a lot of things that the appropriators do around here that I don't like. I rise today in full support of H.R. 535, the PFAS Action Act of 2019. This important piece of legislation will significantly help communities around the country that have contaminated water supplies due to their PFAS chemicals. This bill is also an extension of the good work that the House accomplished last year with many provisions relating to PFAS contamination in the National Defense Authorization Act. One community in my district, Westfield, Massachusetts, has been particularly affected by these substances because of the past use of certain types of firefighting foams for the aircraft fires at Barnes Air National Guard base. Unfortunately, the situation at Westfield is hardly unique. For years, cities and towns around the Nation have been trying to resolve this problem with very little help from the Environmental Protection Agency. Provisions in this bill, however, will ensure that the EPA finally does their part to set safe drinking water standards and to include these hazardous chemicals in the Superfund regulations. Additionally, this regulation will require health testing for all PFAS substances and establish a grant program to help those communities affected to clean up their water supplies. Mr.…”