Following the passage into law of U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin’s PFAS Monitoring Act, Slotkin testified March 10, 2010, before the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Environment for increased funding to implement the expanded testing her bill requires, particularly in small communities.
“I’m a former CIA officer and Pentagon official, so I look at the world through a lens of security,” said Slotkin, D-Holly, in her testimony. “And that is why it is really very clear to me that we need to start thinking of environmental security the way we think of homeland security — because it’s about the safety of our kids and the preservation of our way of life.”
Slotkin’s PFAS Monitoring Act, which makes testing for PFAS in drinking water a requirement through the EPA, was signed by the president and passed into law in December as part of the FY20 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). It is one of six provisions Slotkin passed into law that, for the first time in the Pentagon’s budget, go further than simply requiring studies on PFAS contamination.
“I was very proud that my first six provisions that I’ve turned into law as a Member of Congress are on PFAS,” Slotkin said. “Under the PFAS Monitoring Act, large cities will be required to monitor almost 30 types of PFAS, and smaller communities will get help paying for that monitoring. Now that it’s been signed into law, I want to advocate today that we have funds to implement it. Today I ask the committee to increase funding for 2021 fiscal year for the EPA, and to keep in mind the concerns of families in my district, across Michigan, and across the nation. PFAS is a widespread concern and these chemicals are forever chemicals — they are not going away. We must work to protect Americans against this threat, just as we protect them from threats to our physical security.”
Last week, Slotkin launched her “Wells and Waterways” tour to highlight water quality concerns facing 8th district communities, such as PFAS contamination. Nearly 200 residents attended her tour kick-off event in Davisburg on Thursday. On Sunday, Slotkin visited the Lansing Board of Water and Light.
Slotkin passed the following provisions into law that address PFAS contamination:
• The EPA will require testing for PFAS in municipal drinking water: Slotkin’s PFAS Monitoring Act amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require testing for at least 30 PFAS substances in drinking water for cities and municipalities. Previously, the EPA did not require any testing for PFAS in drinking water. Slotkin introduced the PFAS Monitoring Act in May 2019, and it was incorporated into the NDAA and signed into law at the end of last year. This legislation also authorizes funds to make sure that smaller communities get help in paying for that testing.
• The DoD must fully transition away from AFFF no later than 2024. AFFF is the PFAS-laden firefighting foam that is responsible for significant PFAS contamination in Michigan, particularly around current and former military bases.
• The DoD must develop a plan for PFAS disposal and cleanup. The DoD, or an independent agency, must conduct a study and consolidate best practices for PFAS/PFOS clean-up and remediation.
• The use of PFAS-laden firefighting foam is now banned in military training and exercises, to prevent further contamination in our communities.
• The National Guard now has access to additional environmental remediation funds specifically to clean up PFAS contamination. Important for our National Guard bases in Michigan, the ability for the National Guard to access funds was a specific request from the base commander at Selfridge Air Force base, which will now be able to access remediation funds.
• The DoD must test for PFAS exposure in its firefighters, as part of their annual medical exams, and include the records in their official files. This was a specific request from firefighters, who have been exposed to the toxic PFAS firefighting foam.
