Pfas Action Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. SLOTKIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the PFAS Action Act, a bill that I am proud to cosponsor and that will address a critically important issue in my district and across the country, PFAS contamination.

This bill will take bold action to address PFAS contamination and it contains a number of provisions in particular that will affect our smallest communities; and I want to share those today.

From the very early days when I became a Member of Congress, one of the issues that my residents were talking about more than anything else was the need to access clean water. In particular, Michiganders are concerned about increasing levels of PFAS and other toxic chemicals that we are continuing to find in our drinking water.

In Michigan, water is our identity. We are the home of the Great Lakes, and protecting our water and our waters is one of the most bipartisan issues you will find in the State of Michigan.

I have always believed that environmental security is homeland security, because it is about the safety and security of our kids and the preservation of our way of life in Michigan.

If you can't take your grandchildren fishing in the lakes you grew up on, or can't safely hand your child a glass of water without knowing they might get a learning disability, that is a threat to your family.

We have kicked the can down the road long enough when it comes to finally addressing the PFAS issue, and I am happy to stand here today to fight for a bill that will make a real difference in people's lives when it comes to clean water.

Today, the House is going to vote on several amendments that I drafted and introduced and come directly from on-the-ground conversations I have had with residents in my district. Here is a story for you:

In Michigan, roughly 25 percent of our households get our water from private wells, including myself and my family farm. And even though there is a great deal of public reporting on PFAS contamination in our public water sources, those of us who have private wells do not have a ton of access to best practices, information, how we test.

So back in 2020, I went on a wells and waterways tour in my district and hosted an evening in Davisburg, in Oakland County, right before COVID came to us to talk directly with people who have private wells about how we can make sure that our water is protected, clean, safe, and tested.

The response was overwhelming. We had 150 people on a weekday to talk about how we protect those of us on private wells. Most people do not have the resources, information, or tools they need to get their private wells tested.

These questions led to a bill that I am proud to cosponsor called the Test Your Well Water Act, which ended up being included in the PFAS Action Act. It requires the EPA to set up a website with information for residents on private wells, including how to get your water tested, treatment options, and financial assistance to help homeowners afford the necessary treatment.

I also wrote an amendment to the PFAS Action Act to ensure that this website also contains information about the health risks associated with PFAS. My goal was to create a resource that would be able to answer the questions I received from my constituents a little over a year ago in Davisburg.

The fight to protect safe drinking water for all Michiganders actually starts usually with local advocacy from people in our districts who are directly impacted by that PFAS contamination. This includes people like Stacy Taylor.

Stacy is a resident of my town of Holly, Michigan, and she gets her water directly from a well on her property. When she and her husband started experiencing serious health effects, she suspected there may be PFAS in her water supply.

Stacy conducted intense research on her well and Holly's history, digging through old documents, deeds, and maps to figure out where the problem may lie. When she presented her findings to our office--and she was diligent about coming to find me everywhere I was in the district-- we reached out to the State agency that is responsible for testing our water sources in Michigan, and it turns out Stacy was right. There was PFAS in her water supply--in our water supply.

But discovering the contamination isn't the end of the story. We have to make sure that our towns and cities can clean up these chemicals and provide their residents with clean water, even our smallest communities.

Because of Stacy's dogged advocacy and countless other local folks across my district, one of my amendments to the PFAS Action Act will beef up assistance to local and community governments that would otherwise really struggle to pay for PFAS cleanup. The cost can often be prohibitive.

The stories my constituents have shared have helped shape this bill to be more effective and impactful. In the richest and most powerful country on Earth, we have to have the ability to provide clean water to our citizens. We have to be able to lead healthy lives, and that certainly includes guaranteeing a clean water supply.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to support the PFAS Action Act, and I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do the same.

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