BOSTON, Mass. (State House News Service)–Congresswoman Lori Trahan on Tuesday said she’s seen “an unprecedented level of engagement from the Biden administration” on actions against the chemical contaminants known as PFAS, including White House support for legislation that passed the U.S. House in July.
Trahan told a state task force studying per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances that the bill, dubbed the PFAS Action Act, would require the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a drinking-water standard for PFAS with the goal of limiting exposure. She said it would also mandate cleanup of sites contaminated with two particularly hazardous types of PFAS chemicals, provide support to families that have been exposed to PFAS and take other steps to prevent future exposures.
“For a long time, the EPA stayed away from the PFAS issue, and that inaction is what got us to this point where states have had to act in the absence of and without robust assistance from the federal government,” the Westford Democrat said. “President Biden came out in strong support of this legislation, and it is my hope that as we work to get this done in Congress that the administration will use whatever levers possible to get resources to communities like those here in Massachusetts working to address and prevent contaminations.”
Trahan said PFAS contaminations can cross town and state lines, and that communities will need investment from the federal government to make meaningful progress in addressing contamination. “Look, no one tuning in this morning is oblivious to the fact that cleaning up these water sources is not cheap,” she said. “Towns like Ayer have already spent $12 million on PFAS mitigation, and it’s clear that more small towns will have to make similar investments in the months and the years ahead.”
