Tillis Responds to EPA Plan to Address PFAS Contamination | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Press Release:

EPA plans to designate PFOA and PFOS As "Hazardous Substances"

    WASHINGTON, D.C.     Today, Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced that the EPA will move forward with additional regulatory actions as part of its comprehensive PFAS management plan.

    "I'm glad the EPA listened to the concerns raised by communities and state regulators across the country, including those in North Carolina, regarding PFAS contamination," said Senator Tillis. "This management plan is an important first step towards ensuring that the EPA, states, and affected communities have the necessary tools to effectively respond to and remediate PFAS contaminated areas. Congress also has a role to play, and I'll be working across the aisle to introduce bipartisan legislation to protect North Carolinians from contamination."

    Earlier this month, Senator Tillis sent Acting Administrator Wheeler a letter noting North Carolina's long and troubling history with water contamination, including at Camp Lejeune, and called for the EPA "to use all available resources to fully address PFAS contamination."

    "PFAS contaminants, including the chemical Gen X, have been found in the Cape Fear River in North Carolina, which is the primary source of drinking water for multiple North Carolina counties and communities," wrote Senator Tillis. "Unfortunately, this is not our state's first experience with water contamination. Three decades after trichlorethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE) contaminants, we still have North Carolina families reeling from its devastating effects. We cannot risk repeating history. I urge EPA, under your leadership, to use all available resources to fully address PFAS contamination."

    Acting EPA Administrator Wheeler announced the EPA is beginning the process to designate PFOA and PFOS as "hazardous substances" under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), which allows those responsible for the pollution to be held financially accountable for its cleanup. Wheeler also announced the EPA is moving forward and will propose a Regulatory Determination, the next step in the regulatory process for setting an Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) under the Safe Drinking Water Act, for PFOA and PFOS by the end of the year. Additionally, EPA announced a series of other actions it will be taking to address PFAS contamination including, expanding existing research efforts to further understand the chemicals health impacts and the effectiveness of existing remediation and clean-up technologies.

    Read Senator Tillis' letter to the EPA Acting Administration calling for more action HERE.

    Read the EPA's response to Senator Tillis, including the announcements, HERE.

• Contact: Daniel Keylin
•     daniel_keylin@tillis.senate.gov