December 11, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 198 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Page H10033]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                PFAS REPRESENTS CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER

  (Mr. PAPPAS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAPPAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of communities across 
the Nation that have been contaminated with PFAS.
  PFAS represents a clear and present danger to families in my 
district, and I am disappointed that certain provisions to protect 
public health and our environment were abandoned by negotiators of the 
National Defense Authorization Act.
  I am encouraged that several PFAS-related provisions were included, 
like the one I introduced which creates a clearinghouse of information 
for affected servicemembers and their families and one that phases out 
the use of PFAS in firefighting foam by 2024.
  But Congress should have seized the opportunity to go much further in 
protecting people from these toxic-forever chemicals. Losing provisions 
for drinking water standards, environmental protections, and cleanup 
was a shameful missed opportunity.
  People are getting sick from PFAS contamination, families are scared, 
and they are looking to us for answers. They need action now, and we 
must continue to fight for health information, stricter regulations, 
and mitigation so we can protect families, communities, and the 
environment from PFAS.
  This fight is just beginning, and I look forward to working with my 
colleagues in both parties to pass additional legislation.

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