Delgado Offers Bipartisan Amendment to PFAS Action Act

Thank you Madam Speaker today. I am pleased to offer this bipartisan amendment to strengthen this legislation aimed at addressing Pfas contamination in our communities right now. Communities in Upstate New York continue to struggle with the impacts of Pfas contamination in drinking water. Residents of Hoosick Falls in Petersburg and Rensselaer County are living every day with the impacts of Pfas contamination, which we know in. Thyroid Disease, Birth defects Autoimmune disorders and cancer last year Emily Murphy, who now lives with her family in Hoosick Falls testify before the energy and Commerce Committee about her experiences with contaminated water in her home and Petersburg. New York, Emily spoke about her experiences of being unable to drink the water from her faucet having to sell her home and then test her blood as well as the. Of her children for PFOA, what Emily described is all too common in my district and is representative of the experiences of communities across the country. This is why Fox has been a priority of mine and so many in this chamber on both sides of the aisle, The Fast Action Act is a critically important bill. My bipartisan amendment will strengthen this legislation and address another element of this crisis. Indirect discharges My amendment would pull. Which pulls from the P Fast Transparency Act would make it illegal Fortin industrial facility to introduce Pfas into a sewage treatment system with our first disclosing information about that substance right now. Right now, companies can tap into a public wastewater infrastructure and introduce Pfas into our sewer systems. regardless of the local treatment plants ability to effectively treat the contamination most municipal. Treatment plants are not equipped to effectively treat for Pfas contamination, which makes indirect discharges extremely hazardous, particularly when not disclosed the Pfas Transparency Act establishes a common sense requirement that industrial facilities disclose this information to treatment systems beforehand, meaning more transparency and accountability for our communities. I like to take this moment to recognize my Co leads on this measure, Reps. Chris Papas and Harley Rouda. We introduced this PDF. Transparency Act alongside the bipartisan Clean Water Standards for Pfas Act of 2020, which would require the EPA to review PG Fox discharges under the Clean Water Act Issues regulations to address harmful discharges of falls into our nation's waterways. These bills together take important steps to increase our understanding of Pfas in wastewater and address harmful discharges in our water system, both direct and indirect. I urge this House to stand with our communities facing unthinkable. Up Pfas contamination. Thank you. I urge a yes vote on this amendment and I Reserve the balance of my time.