July 22, 2021
Eric Lloyd
Members of Congress from both parties are celebrating a major step forward in the fight against PFAS.
Wednesday the United States House passed the PFAS Action Act, sponsored by two Michigan representatives, it has been the Mitten State pushing hardest for action from the federal government
.
“No one should be drinking polluted water,” said Brad Jensen, executive director of Huron Pines, “This is a complex issue but that point is really simple.”
PFAS and other hazardous chemicals have been an issue for decades but just recently they are being discovered. Little is being done to clean them up because basically nobody has had to.
“In defending its inaction, the Air Force loves to point out that PFOA and PFOS, two of the main contaminants in our community, are not regulated under federal law,” said Tony Spaniola of Need Our Water.
That’s where the PFAS Action Act comes in. It creates federal drinking water standards, offers grants to pay for clean-up and designates these chemicals as officially hazardous.
“It has quickly been evident that this affects people around the state and around the country,” said Rep. Bill Huizenga.
This is how the bill is moving now, support from not just Michigan’s delegation.
“We have more PFAS contamination sites than any other state but that’s just because we’ve been looking for it,” said Rep. Dan Kildee, “So obviously as people discover more, we get more members of Congress wanting to join us.”
“We are going to see more and more sites, I would think,” said Jensen, “The cleanup and the tools to deal with that, it’s a difficult, expensive problem. That’s why they call them forever chemicals.”
Water moves, including polluted water. Contamination sites in one area spread to others and lawmakers say this bill shows urgency in stopping that spread.
“We need to,” said Rep. Debbie Dingell, “It’s just time. People are dying because the government is not acting.”
Reps. Kind, Gallagher introduce a bipartisan bill to help families test their private wells for 'forever chemicals
“No one should be drinking polluted water,” said Brad Jensen, executive director of Huron Pines, “This is a complex issue but that point is really simple.”
PFAS and other hazardous chemicals have been an issue for decades but just recently they are being discovered. Little is being done to clean them up because basically nobody has had to.
“In defending its inaction, the Air Force loves to point out that PFOA and PFOS, two of the main contaminants in our community, are not regulated under federal law,” said Tony Spaniola of Need Our Water.
That’s where the PFAS Action Act comes in. It creates federal drinking water standards, offers grants to pay for clean-up and designates these chemicals as officially hazardous.
“It has quickly been evident that this affects people around the state and around the country,” said Rep. Bill Huizenga.
This is how the bill is moving now, support from not just Michigan’s delegation.
“We have more PFAS contamination sites than any other state but that’s just because we’ve been looking for it,” said Rep. Dan Kildee, “So obviously as people discover more, we get more members of Congress wanting to join us.”
“We are going to see more and more sites, I would think,” said Jensen, “The cleanup and the tools to deal with that, it’s a difficult, expensive problem. That’s why they call them forever chemicals.”
Water moves, including polluted water. Contamination sites in one area spread to others and lawmakers say this bill shows urgency in stopping that spread.
“We need to,” said Rep. Debbie Dingell, “It’s just time. People are dying because the government is not acting.”
Reps. Kind, Gallagher introduce a bipartisan bill to help families test their private wells for 'forever chemicals
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Laura Schulte
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
In a rare moment of bipartisan agreement, two Wisconsin lawmakers introduced federal legislation aimed at testing private wells for contaminants such as "forever chemicals."
Republican U.S Rep Mike Gallagher and Democrat Ron Kind, alongside representatives from Michigan and New York, introduced the "Test Your Well Water Act" on Tuesday.
The legislation would create an online tool, managed by the Environmental Protection Agency, to help Americans with private wells find resources to test their water and analyze the results. The legislation would also provide funding for the tests, so the cost doesn't fall to those in need of testing.
The bill would also instruct the EPA to provide information on treatment options for wells, as well as information on financial assistance that is available to homeowners to support a treatment system, according to the bill.
The bill is aimed at helping people determine if their wells have been affected by PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. The compounds, which spread easily through water and do not break down or degrade in the environment, have been found in wells across Wisconsin, including Milwaukee, Eau Claire, Madison and La Crosse.
"People deserve to know whether or not their water is contaminated by chemicals like PFAS,” Gallagher said in a news release. “This bill creates an easy-to-use tool that not only allows individuals to test their drinking water, but also allows local officials to develop a better understanding of where contamination may be.”
Nearly 42 million Americans get their drinking water from private wells or sources that aren't regulated by federal and state governments, according to the release. If passed, the bill would allow EPA to modernize access to resources to help people ensure the water they use for drinking and cooking is safe.
MORE:Town facing devastating 'forever chemical' contamination hopes to see aid from federal stimulus package
Kind, whose home is on French Island, a community outside La Crosse fighting large PFAS contamination, said he knows firsthand how costly it can get to test your own well because he and his family had to do it.
"A lot of families can't afford it," he said. "And unless you test, you're not going to know the levels in your well. We need to test to see how bad it is."
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It wasn't surprising to get support on both sides of the aisle for the bill, Kind said, because clean, safe water is so important.
"There is nothing more scary than a family thinking they're drinking contaminated water," he said. "That's why this is a nonpartisan issue. It's fundamental that people have access to safe water."
PFAS are a relatively new family of man-made chemicals used for their water- and stain-resistant qualities in products like clothing, carpet, nonstick cookware, food packaging and firefighting foam. The family includes 5,000 compounds, which are persistent, remaining in the body over time.
More:What are PFAS? Here's what you need to know about the emerging contaminant group known as 'forever chemicals'
PFAS have been linked to types of kidney and testicular cancers, lower birth weights, harm to immune and reproductive systems and altered hormone regulation and thyroid hormones.
In addition to being found in drinking wells across the state and in humans who consume that water, the contaminants have also made their way into animals, resulting in warnings from the state Department of Natural Resources to not consume the livers of deer from the area or fish harvested in certain water bodies in Marinette and Peshtigo, near a Tyco Fire Products facility that is the source of another contamination.
The federal government does not regulate PFAS, though Congress has taken up the PFAS Action Act, which would set drinking water standards and classify the contaminants as dangerous.
Wisconsin has attempted to regulate PFAS, but standards have not yet been approved by the state Legislature. The DNR is now working to develop standards for groundwater, drinking water and surface water for PFOA and PFOS — two of the most well-known and well-researched of the family of chemicals — as well as several other compounds. That process is expected to stretch on for at least another year.
Other laws regrading the chemicals have been attempted, too. The latest bill, which would provide grants to individuals or communities to test wells, provide an alternate water source or attempt to remediate spills, would bar the recipient from ever pursuing legal action against the company or organization responsible for the contamination.
Pushback was swift after the bill was introduced by state Rep. Elijah Behnke, R-Oconto, who represents one of the worst contaminations in the state in the Marinette and Peshtigo area.
Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on Twitter at @SchulteLaura.
Laura Schulte
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
In a rare moment of bipartisan agreement, two Wisconsin lawmakers introduced federal legislation aimed at testing private wells for contaminants such as "forever chemicals."
Republican U.S Rep Mike Gallagher and Democrat Ron Kind, alongside representatives from Michigan and New York, introduced the "Test Your Well Water Act" on Tuesday.
The legislation would create an online tool, managed by the Environmental Protection Agency, to help Americans with private wells find resources to test their water and analyze the results. The legislation would also provide funding for the tests, so the cost doesn't fall to those in need of testing.
The bill would also instruct the EPA to provide information on treatment options for wells, as well as information on financial assistance that is available to homeowners to support a treatment system, according to the bill.
The bill is aimed at helping people determine if their wells have been affected by PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. The compounds, which spread easily through water and do not break down or degrade in the environment, have been found in wells across Wisconsin, including Milwaukee, Eau Claire, Madison and La Crosse.
"People deserve to know whether or not their water is contaminated by chemicals like PFAS,” Gallagher said in a news release. “This bill creates an easy-to-use tool that not only allows individuals to test their drinking water, but also allows local officials to develop a better understanding of where contamination may be.”
Nearly 42 million Americans get their drinking water from private wells or sources that aren't regulated by federal and state governments, according to the release. If passed, the bill would allow EPA to modernize access to resources to help people ensure the water they use for drinking and cooking is safe.
MORE:Town facing devastating 'forever chemical' contamination hopes to see aid from federal stimulus package
Kind, whose home is on French Island, a community outside La Crosse fighting large PFAS contamination, said he knows firsthand how costly it can get to test your own well because he and his family had to do it.
"A lot of families can't afford it," he said. "And unless you test, you're not going to know the levels in your well. We need to test to see how bad it is."
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Fuel your hometown passion and plug into the stories that define it.
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It wasn't surprising to get support on both sides of the aisle for the bill, Kind said, because clean, safe water is so important.
"There is nothing more scary than a family thinking they're drinking contaminated water," he said. "That's why this is a nonpartisan issue. It's fundamental that people have access to safe water."
PFAS are a relatively new family of man-made chemicals used for their water- and stain-resistant qualities in products like clothing, carpet, nonstick cookware, food packaging and firefighting foam. The family includes 5,000 compounds, which are persistent, remaining in the body over time.
More:What are PFAS? Here's what you need to know about the emerging contaminant group known as 'forever chemicals'
PFAS have been linked to types of kidney and testicular cancers, lower birth weights, harm to immune and reproductive systems and altered hormone regulation and thyroid hormones.
In addition to being found in drinking wells across the state and in humans who consume that water, the contaminants have also made their way into animals, resulting in warnings from the state Department of Natural Resources to not consume the livers of deer from the area or fish harvested in certain water bodies in Marinette and Peshtigo, near a Tyco Fire Products facility that is the source of another contamination.
The federal government does not regulate PFAS, though Congress has taken up the PFAS Action Act, which would set drinking water standards and classify the contaminants as dangerous.
Wisconsin has attempted to regulate PFAS, but standards have not yet been approved by the state Legislature. The DNR is now working to develop standards for groundwater, drinking water and surface water for PFOA and PFOS — two of the most well-known and well-researched of the family of chemicals — as well as several other compounds. That process is expected to stretch on for at least another year.
Other laws regrading the chemicals have been attempted, too. The latest bill, which would provide grants to individuals or communities to test wells, provide an alternate water source or attempt to remediate spills, would bar the recipient from ever pursuing legal action against the company or organization responsible for the contamination.
Pushback was swift after the bill was introduced by state Rep. Elijah Behnke, R-Oconto, who represents one of the worst contaminations in the state in the Marinette and Peshtigo area.
Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on Twitter at @SchulteLaura.
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