On September 6, the House Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on the Environment held a hearing 'titled Perfluorinated Chemicals in the Environment: An Update on the Response to Contamination and Challenges Presented.' During the hearing, House Committee Members expressed frustration with the pace of EPA’s action on the chemicals.
Members of both parties asked the EPA’s top drinking water official, Dr. Peter Grevatt to speed up the process for dealing with PFAS. Dr. Grevatt provided a statement and testimony that EPA will determine by the end of the year whether new binding regulations on a toxic chemical are needed. Maureen Sullivan, the Pentagon’s top environmental cleanup official also testified before the subcommittee about the Pentagon’s response to the crisis, which is especially around military institutions where the chemicals were used for years. (Bloomberg BNA, 9/6/18)
PFAS is a class of about 3,500 chemicals found in firefighting foam, nonstick pans, and may other consumer and industrial products. They are long lasting in the environment and have been linked to a number of health problems.
