May 10, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 78 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Page H3687]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     CONGRESSIONAL PFAS TASK FORCE

  (Ms. DEAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DEAN. Madam Speaker, this week, the Congressional PFAS Task 
Force, including Representatives Kildee, Tonko, and Fitzpatrick, joined 
me in my district to address clean water and to address PFAS water 
contamination. I thank them for joining me. We visited Naval Air 
Station Joint Base Willow Grove.
  Like hundreds of other military installations across the country, 
Willow Grove used firefighting foam with PFAS chemicals for decades. 
Today, polluted water continues to flow off this base and into our 
region's water table.
  PFAS is associated with serious health risks, including cancer and 
impaired immune system performance. The manufacturers, EPA, and DOD 
have known about some of the dangers for a long time. By the early 
2000s, it was clear that PFAS was contaminating drinking water, yet 
PFAS remains in use, and EPA still has not established a maximum 
contaminant level.
  This week, I introduced H.R. 2600, the Toxic PFAS Control Act. This 
bill phases out PFAS by banning the manufacturing and processing of 
these chemicals and will require EPA to regulate its disposal.
  I thank Chairman Tonko for his commitment to this issue to live up to 
our obligation to provide clean drinking water to our families and 
communities.

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