[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7289 Referred in Senate (RFS)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7289
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 27, 2022
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and
Public Works
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To provide for the National Academies to study and report on a Federal
research agenda to advance the understanding of PFAS, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Federal PFAS Research Evaluation
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
are a group of man-made chemicals that have been used in a wide
range of products since the 1940s including firefighting foam,
carpeting, packaging, and cookware. There are more than 5,000
types of registered PFAS compounds. This chemical class is not
currently regulated at the Federal level.
(2) PFAS have been detected in air, water, soil, food,
biosolids, and more. They can accumulate and remain in the body
for a long time, and potentially lead to serious health effects
including cancer, low infant birthweight, liver and kidney
issues, reproductive and developmental problems, and more.
(3) There remains much unknown about PFAS toxicity, human
and environmental health effects, exposure pathways, as well as
effective removal, treatment, and destruction methods, and safe
alternatives to PFAS.
(4) Federal research efforts have been fragmented at
various agencies and struggled to effectively address the full
scope of challenges presented by PFAS.
(5) Regulatory action and cleanup depend on scientific
analysis of toxicity data, decision making on how best to deal
with PFAS, and understanding the significance of the many
exposure pathways that exist. A consensus study by the National
Academies would help inform decisions by Federal and State
Governments, industry, and other stakeholders on how to best
address PFAS.
SEC. 3. NATIONAL ACADEMIES REPORTS.
(a) Research Assessments of PFAS.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date on
which amounts are appropriated for fiscal year 2023 to carry
out this section, the Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency, in consultation with the Director of the
National Science Foundation, the Secretary of Defense, the
Director of the National Institutes of Health, and other
Federal agencies with expertise relevant to understanding PFAS
exposure, behavior, and toxicity, shall enter into an agreement
with the National Academies to conduct a study and submit a
report in accordance with this subsection to further address
research and knowledge gaps identified by the Federal
Government Human Health PFAS Research Workshop held on October
26 and 27, 2020, and identify research and development needed
to identify, categorize, evaluate, and address individual or
total PFAS.
(2) Study and report on human exposure estimation.--
(A) In general.--The study required to be conducted
under paragraph (1) shall, at a minimum--
(i) consider life-cycle information on the
manufacture, use, and disposal of PFAS-
containing products to identify potential human
exposure sources, including occupational
exposures, and potential exposure pathways for
the public;
(ii) evaluate the fate and transport of
PFAS and their breakdown products;
(iii) if feasible, estimate human exposure
to individual or total PFAS to determine
relative source contributions for various
exposure pathways (such as air, water, soil, or
food);
(iv) determine the range of solubility,
stability, and volatility of PFAS most likely
to be found in the environment and the
resulting prevalence in animals and humans;
(v) give consideration as to whether
chemical category-based approaches would be
appropriate for evaluating PFAS toxicity and
exposure;
(vi) identify research needed to advance
exposure estimation to individual or total
PFAS; and
(vii) identify research needed to advance
toxicity and hazard assessment of individual or
total PFAS.
(B) Report.--Not later than 540 days after the date
on which the agreement described in paragraph (1) is
finalized, the National Academies shall submit to
Congress a report containing the findings and
recommendations of the study described in subparagraph
(A) and shall make such report available on a publicly
accessible website.
(b) Research Assessment of Management and Treatment Alternatives
for PFAS Contamination in the Environment.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date on
which amounts are appropriated for fiscal year 2023 to carry
out this section, the Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency and the Director of the National Science
Foundation, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and
other Federal agencies with expertise relevant to the
development of PFAS alternatives and the management and
treatment of PFAS, shall jointly enter into an agreement with
the National Academies to conduct a study and submit a report
in accordance with this subsection to better understand the
research and development needed to advance the understanding of
the extent and implications of human and environmental
contamination by PFAS, how to manage and treat such
contamination, and the development of safe alternatives.
(2) Scope of study.--The study described in paragraph (1)
shall, at a minimum, include the following:
(A) An assessment of the best available strategies
for PFAS treatment, site remediation, and safe
disposal, including demonstration or pilot projects
related to destruction methods and alternative
materials or tools for firefighters.
(B) A description of the research gaps relating to
such issues, including consideration of emerging or
future PFAS and potential classification methods.
(C) Recommendations on how the Federal Government
can best address the research needs identified pursuant
to subparagraph (B) through increased collaboration or
coordination of existing and new programs.
(D) Recommendations on how research can best
incorporate considerations of socioeconomic issues into
the development of research proposals and the conduct
of research.
(3) Report.--Not later than 540 days after the date on
which the agreement described in paragraph (1) is finalized,
the National Academies shall submit to Congress a report
containing the findings and recommendations of the study
described in paragraph (2) and shall make such report available
on a publicly accessible website.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated for fiscal year 2023 $3,000,000 to the Administrator of
the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out this section.
SEC. 4. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.
Not later than 180 days after submission to Congress of latest of
the National Academies reports under section 3, the Director of the
Office of Science and Technology Policy, in coordination with all
relevant Federal agencies, shall submit to Congress an implementation
plan for increased collaboration and coordination of Federal PFAS
research, development, and demonstration activities. In preparing such
an implementation plan, the Director shall take into consideration the
recommendations included in the reports in section 3.
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) National academies.--The term ``National Academies''
means the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and
Medicine.
(2) PFAS.--The term ``PFAS'' means per- and polyfluoroalkyl
substances, including mixtures of such substances.
Passed the House of Representatives July 26, 2022.
Attest:
CHERYL L. JOHNSON,
Clerk.