Rep. Elissa Slotkin Introduces Bill To Require PFAS Testing In Public Water Systems

EPA currently does not require drinking water to be tested for PFAS

U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (MI-08) today introduced the PFAS Monitoring Act, a bill that would require public water systems to test for at least 30 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals, and would require the full range of PFAS chemicals to be tested after two years. Right now, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not require testing for PFAS in drinking water in all public water systems.

Slotkin introduced the bill during Infrastructure Week, a week of education and advocacy around rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure. Last week, a new report showed that Michigan has the highest number of PFAS-contaminated sites in the country.

“In Michigan, environmental security is homeland security. Particularly when it comes to water infrastructure, this is about the safety of our kids and our way of life, and we need to start treating it that way,” said Slotkin. “That’s why I’m proud to introduce a bill to require testing for PFAS in our drinking water — something that is currently not required by the EPA — so that towns like mine know if their water is safe to drink.”

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or a Republican or an Independent -- if you’re going to hand your child a glass of water, you should be confident it won’t cause cancer or other lifelong health issues -- that’s your family and that’s about safety,” she added.

The PFAS Monitoring Act would amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to require continued and expanded monitoring of at least 30 PFAS substances in drinking water. The bill would help communities understand the scope of PFAS contamination of its drinking water as a prerequisite for efforts to fix the problem.