PFAS Bill Passes House with Levin Measures

Press Release

Congressman Andy Levin (MI-09), a member of the bipartisan Congressional PFAS Task Force, today voted to pass the H.R. 2467, the PFAS Action Act of 2021, which passed the House by a vote of 241-183.

The bill includes measures authored by Rep. Levin: his PFAS Safe Disposal Act, to protect Michiganders and all Americans from air contamination when PFAS chemicals are destroyed by incineration, and an amendment to authorize $100 million for a new grant program to test for and remediate PFAS in drinking water in our schools.

"Today, the House took a major bipartisan step toward addressing decades of EPA failure in cleaning up these toxic, forever chemicals nationwide. I am proud that today's bill includes my PFAS Safe Disposal Act, which will ensure that when PFAS is eliminated by incineration, the chemicals don't end up in the air we breathe," said Rep. Levin. "The legislation also includes my amendment to protect our students against PFAS exposure at schools, which is crucial because PFAS has particularly troubling health and developmental impacts on children."

The PFAS Action Act of 2021 would:

Stem the flow of PFAS contamination into the environment by requiring cleanup of sites contaminated with PFOA and PFOS, setting air emission limits, prohibiting unsafe incineration of PFAS, and limiting the introduction of new PFAS chemicals into commerce;
Identify health risks by requiring comprehensive health testing for all PFAS, reporting of PFAS releases, and monitoring for PFAS in drinking water; and
Limit human exposure to PFAS by requiring a drinking water standard for PFAS that protects public health, including the health of vulnerable subpopulations like pregnant women, infants, and children, and holding polluters accountable. The legislation also provides grants to impacted water systems, creates a voluntary label for cookware that is PFAS free, provides guidance for first responders to limit their exposures, and requires effluent limitations and pretreatment standards for PFAS introduction or discharge.
Since his first term in Congress, Congressman Levin has championed numerous efforts to address the growing hazard these dangerous chemicals pose to our communities. Last fall, Rep. Levin joined his Michigan colleagues in leading a letter to demand higher standards and increased oversight for PFAS near schools and childcare facilities. In 2019, Rep. Levin's measure requiring the Secretary of Defense to ensure that all incineration of materials containing PFAS is conducted in a manner that eliminates PFAS while also ensuring that no PFAS is emitted into the air was signed into law.

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