Despite Potential Trump Veto, PFAS Amendment Passes House
The U.S. House has approved an amendment to the annual defense spending bill that would target per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
PFAS have long plagued drinking water in communities across the country and consumption of the chemicals has been tied to adverse health effects. While federal action, particularly stricter limitations set by the U.S. EPA, have been delayed, this latest approval may spur more serious action to combat PFAS contamination.
“If approved by the Senate, the designation under the Superfund law — officially called the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CLERCLA) — would empower the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to force those responsible for the pollution to pursue or pay for cleaning up contaminated sites,” reports Truthout.
According to a release from the Environmental Working Group, the package of amendments would also phase out the military use of PFAS in firefighting foam and food packaging, expand PFAS water quality monitoring, create an online health database for military members, and more.
The amendment will now require approval from the Senate, which has already proposed its own PFAS package. And it may very well get stopped entirely if and when it does reach the Trump administration, which has threatened to veto the National Defense Authorization Act that the amendments are part of.
“If H.R. 2500 were presented to the President in its current form, his advisors would recommend that he veto it,” according to a White House statement.
Though the statement primarily highlighted issues with the act that do not relate to PFAS regulations, it did outline opposition to Department of Defense (DOD) oversight of the cleanup and the proposal’s reliance on an EPA health advisory.
“The Administration strongly objects to the provision, which would provide authority to DOD to treat water sources or provide replacement water for agricultural purposes where the water source is ‘contaminated’ with PFOA and PFOS from military activities,” per the statement. “Using the EPA drinking water health advisory (HA) to identify areas subject to this section of the bill would be inconsistent with the scientific basis of the HA … Additionally, at potentially great cost to and significant impact on DOD’s mission, the legislation singles out DOD, only one contributor to this national issue.”
Time will tell how far this amendment will get through the remaining legislative red tape and what, if any, federal action to address PFAS contamination takes place. However, the approval of this amendment and ensuing debate is proof that drinking water contamination from these chemicals has reached the top of mind for even the country’s highest powers.
To read more about pending PFAS regulations, visit Water Online’s Regulations And Legislation Solutions Center.