Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Senate Environmental Committee OKs Bills Responding To PFAS Contamination

On October 23, the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee unanimously reported out bills to restrict some uses of PFAS chemicals from firefighting foams and using local funds to clean up PFAS contamination.  The bills include--
-- PFAS Firefighting Foams:  Senate Bill 919 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) establish statewide uniform requirements restricting the use of Class B firefighting foams containing added PFAS chemistries for training, restricting their use in testing, while also allowing for continued sale and use against real-world fires (sponsor summary).
“Firefighters can face an extremely higher level of PFAS exposure compared to other emergency responders,” Sen. Gene Yaw said. “PFAS contamination is a national public health challenge, and this bill is a commonsense response, which has already been adopted by many states. This bill will undoubtedly protect firefighters moving forward, while also safeguarding our ground and surface water from contamination.”
-- Use Local Funds To Pay PFAS Cleanup Costs: House Bill 1410 (Stephens-R-Montgomery) would use local funds which would otherwise pay state taxes for cleaning up PFAS contamination, rather than relying on responsible parties to pay for cleanups  (House Fiscal Note & Summary). 
The bills now go to the full Senate for action.
Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming) serves as Majority Chair of the Senate Environmental Committee and can be contacted by calling 717-787-3280 or sending email to: gyaw@pasen.gov.   Sen. John Yudichak (D-Luzerne) serves as Minority Chair and can be contacted by calling 717-787-7105 or sending email to: yudichak@pasenate.com.
Related Articles:
DEP To Hold Nov. 18 Meeting/Hearing On Easton Road PFOA/PFOS Hazardous Site Cleanup Plan In Bucks County
[Posted: October 23, 2019]  www.PaEnvironmentDigest.com

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