Political Quotes

“This amendment would strike section 2 of H.R. 535. Section 2 of H.R. 535 requires the Environmental Protection Agency to designate the chemicals PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, also known as the Superfund, and to do this within 1 year of enactment, and requires a review of the entire PFAS chemical group within 5 years. I believe this to be flawed for several reasons: First and foremost, the Environmental Protection Agency is already undergoing a thorough examination of the chemicals known as PFAS. Section 2 circumvents the regulatory process and would deny any public notice, any public comment, or any scientific study before deeming PFOA and PFOS as hazardous chemicals under the Superfund. Any substance designated as a hazardous substance under CERCLA attaches strict, joint and several, and retroactive liability conditions. If you had any stake in the production, any stake in the ownership or cleanup of such a substance, that party might be liable under the Superfund law. The public has a right to comment on the impacts of such an important measure. Second, section 2 is simply impractical. In the 40 years since the passage of the Superfund bill, Congress has never specifically placed individual chemicals or chemical groups into statute as hazardous chemicals under this act. In those 40 years, 800 chemicals have been added to this list through the regulatory process.…”