Paul Tonko: “This amendment would strike the Superfund provision from this bill completely. It will significantly weaken this bill…”

“This amendment would strike the Superfund provision from this bill completely. It will significantly weaken this bill and leave hundreds of impacted communities in harm's way. What does the Superfund provision in this bill do exactly? H.R. 535 lists only PFOA and PFOS under Superfund and leaves decisions for all other PFAS to EPA. EPA has already committed to listing PFOA and PFOS under Superfund and has been working on the listings since 2018. So this bill does not prejudge EPA decisions. EPA has already made those decisions. The bill will speed up that listing so that cleanup of existing contamination starts sooner, which is critical. It also sets up a reasonable deadline for EPA to make decisions on other PFAS chemicals under Superfund to speed up any additional needed cleanups. Superfund cleanups are essential to public health, and for impacted communities, they can be the difference between health and sickness, between life and death. The question before Members on this amendment is whether cleanups of PFOA and PFOS should start right away or whether impacted communities can continue to wait. While EPA drags its feet, people in hundreds of impacted communities across the country will continue to be exposed and continue to be harmed. Pollution will spread from these sites into the environment, into sources of drinking water, and into our agricultural resources. And eventual cleanups will become harder and more costly.…”