Michigan Governor Rick Snyder today applauded the announcement of a hearing on PFAS contamination scheduled by the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Environment. He also noted that having the head of the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team invited to testify shows just how strong a leader Michigan has become on this growing issue.
“The emerging contaminants known as PFAS are a national concern and need a national spotlight to be addressed appropriately,” Snyder said. “Michigan has been very proactive in reviewing the latest science and actively seeking out sources and possible elevated levels of contamination. We need the federal government to actively engage with all the states and help us address this issue head-on. Carol Isaacs was asked to lead MPART because of her no-nonsense approach to serving the public and getting to the heart of any matter that needs to be addressed. She is exactly who Congress should be hearing from.”
Congressman Fred Upton said the discovery of PFAS in his district last month shows how Michigan’s proactive approach is working.
“We have more than 3,000 people in my district who are no longer drinking contaminated water because of the actions the local, state and federal government took in partnership to find this problem and root it out,” Upton said. “We need to learn what, exactly, happened here in Michigan so that we can prevent it from happening again. This bipartisan hearing will be a positive step in that direction. We’re also working on bipartisan legislation that would require the Environmental Protection Agency to publish drinking water regulations for PFAS nationwide. We must continue to hold the EPA accountable. The response to the PFAS problem in Parchment is a textbook example of how such situations should be handled. I want to again praise the State of Michigan’s rapid, on-the-ground response and our local community leaders for their immediate action and thank the dedicated volunteers on the ground who stood up when called upon to help their friends and neighbors.”
Congressman Tim Walberg, who sits on the subcommittee, said he is looking forward to hearing more from his home state about the actions taken and the guidance the federal government could be providing.
“This hearing will put a spotlight on PFAS contamination which is a serious concern for many communities around the country,” Walberg said. “Michigan is on the front lines of this national issue, and the public deserves to know what went wrong and what proactive steps are being taken to prevent future exposure. I will continue working with state and federal officials to get these answers and better protect the health and safety of our citizens.”
Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, who also sits on the subcommittee, noted that water quality affected by environmental contaminants should be a concern of every U.S. resident and the officials who serve them.
“The protection of our environment and natural resources should be of utmost importance to everyone at all levels of government because we’re talking about people’s lives,” Dingell said. “It’s unacceptable for anyone in the United States to not have safe water available to them in their homes. We must be more proactive in helping find PFAS and protecting public health from these dangerous chemicals with responsible standards that put people first.”
For more information on what Michigan has done regarding PFAS, visit the MPART website atwww.michigan.gov/pfasresponse.
