The U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on March 28 heard from a panel of federal officials on their responses to nationwide contamination from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Testimony was provided by:
- David Ross, Assistant Administrator, Office of Water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Maureen Sullivan, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Environment, Department of Defense
- Dr. Patrick Breysse, Director of the National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Dr. Linda Birnbaum, Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program, National Institutes of Health.
Senators from both sides of the aisle expressed concerns about the pace of the federal response, pressing Ross for more details on the timing and specifics of the PFAS Action Plan released in February. Several senators also noted they are working on legislation to address various aspects of the crisis.
NGWA worked with the committee in advance of the hearing, providing background information on PFAS, as well as posing important questions the hearing could aim to address. NGWA also submitted a letter for the congressional record, outlining its priorities for addressing PFAS contamination. A webcast of the hearing is available on the committee’s website.