October 19, 2021
The National PFAS Contamination Coalition (NPCC) is grateful for Administrator Regan’s public commitment to partnering with PFAS contaminated community activists and his promise to “keep pushing the envelope” for aggressive EPA actions designed to protect harmed communities from PFAS exposures. We plan to hold Administrator Regan to his words.
The NPCC sent a letter in January calling on President Biden to prioritize PFAS in the new administration’s priority agenda. The EPA’s PFAS strategic roadmap addresses some of these concerns including setting clear timelines and next steps for protecting communities across the country from PFAS contamination. It also urges the FDA, DOD, and other federal agencies to also take significant actions to address their responsibilities in protecting public health from these toxic “forever chemicals”. However, if Administrator Regan is going to bring true equity and environmental justice to the millions of American communities suffering from decades of PFAS exposures–more needs to be done and we call on Administrator Regan to work closely with the NPCC to prioritize these needs.
Community leaders in the coalition, all of whom are directly impacted by PFAS contamination, praise the roadmap for establishing tangible deadlines for action, something sorely missing from previous EPA plans. They also acknowledge more action is urgently needed and welcome continued dialog with Administrator Regan and his office.
“PFAS contamination is a public health emergency impacting every American who has detectable levels of PFAS in their blood,” said Stel Bailey of Fight for Zero in Cocoa Beach, Florida and co-facilitator of the National PFAS Contamination Coalition. “We know intimately the costs and burdens associated with EPA inaction. The EPA’s leadership in releasing this plan is an important first step in the right direction and more clearly highlights the extra work that needs to be done. We will do whatever it takes to see our communities are made whole. We promise to be as persistant as PFAS.”
The National PFAS Contamination Coalition formed in June 2017 in order to support local organizing for clean, PFAS-free air, soil, water, and food supplies, as well as advocating for occupational health and safety from workplace PFAS exposures. The coalition seeks these health protections through the sharing of stories, information, experiences, references, data, and connections with experts in their fields. The National PFAS Contamination Coalition envisions a PFAS-free world where people are not exposed to any PFAS, where the environment and public health are protected, where there is justice for the victims of PFAS exposure, and where laws and regulations prevent contamination disasters like this from happening again.
###
The National PFAS Contamination Coalition is a network of grassroots groups fighting PFAS contamination in communities across the country, formed following the June 2017 PFAS conference in Boston, MA. The coalition has grown to represent 18 groups in 16 states across the country. See more at pfasproject.net.
National PFAS Contamination Coalition 