Political Quotes

“Madam Chair, I rise today to offer an amendment to H.R. 535, the PFAS Action Act of 2019. First, I thank Chairman Pallone, Congresswoman Dingell, and the Energy and Commerce Committee for bringing this bill to the floor today. We all know that PFAS contamination is a national issue that has devastated communities across the country. As of October 2019, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection has more than 30,000 records for PFAS at 244 locations across the State of Maine. In my district, areas surrounding the former Loring Air Force Base, Houlton International Airport, Bangor International Airport, the Navy VLF Radio Station in Cutler, and the Bog Brook military training site in Gilead are known to be contaminated with PFAS compounds. Groundwater, surface water, soil, and sediment samples collected from these sites identified the presence of these chemicals, posing a major risk to public health and safety. We also know that emergency response teams are frequently exposed to PFAS in firefighting foams as they work to keep communities safe. Given my State still relies on not only career firefighters but a tremendous amount of volunteer firefighters, the threat of PFAS contamination and the resulting health risks is something I take seriously. That is why I am pleased to see that the bill we are debating today includes a provision that would require the EPA Administrator, with the U.S.…”