Gov. Tony Evers joined the governors of Michigan, Minnesota, New York and Pennsylvania in support of the PFAS Action Act, bipartisan federal legislation the U.S. House of Representatives voted to approve this week.
The bill aims to speed up the enactment of national public health and environmental protections from PFAS. The governors signed a letter of support for the PFAS Action Act.
PFAS are a group of human-made chemicals used for decades in numerous products, including non-stick cookware, fast food wrappers, stain-resistant sprays and certain types of firefighting foam. These contaminants have made their way into the environment in various ways, including spills of PFAS-containing materials, discharges of PFAS-containing wastewater to treatment plants and certain types of firefighting foams.
Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, New York and Pennsylvania have engaged in efforts to strategize and collaborate between states to address PFAS.
The letter of support stresses the key areas in which federal action is especially needed, including:
*designating PFAS a hazardous substance under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act;
*the development of national standards for water and air as well as PFAS management guidelines;
*funding for impacted communities;
*and product stewardship.
See the bill: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/2467/text
See the letter: https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/WIGOV/2021/07/23/file_attachments/1886815/Multi-State%20PFAS%20Letter%20071621.pdf
