Reps. Delgado, Kildee, Gallagher, Kind, and Slotkin Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Promote Clean Drinking Water
WASHINGTON, DC—Today, U.S. Representatives Antonio Delgado (NY-19), Dan Kildee (MI-05), Mike Gallagher (WI-08), Ron Kind (WI-03), and Elissa Slotkin (MI-08) introduced bipartisan legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives to create an online tool on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) website for Americans with a private well to find the resources to test their drinking water and then understand what those results mean.
This tool would promote transparency and streamline EPA resources to help people potentially exposed to toxic per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other contaminants. In the U.S. 43 million people get their drinking water from well water that is currently unregulated from both the federal and state government.
“I’m working alongside my colleagues every day to protect our communities from known contaminants like PFOA and PFOS,” said Congressman Delgado. “I’m proud to join a bipartisan coalition to introduce legislation that will enable everyone in upstate New York to test their well water and ensure their personal water supply is free of harmful chemicals. It is critically important that our communities know what is in their drinking water, and I encourage the House to take up this commonsense bill as soon as possible to increase transparency and keep our water safe.”
“Whether drinking from a municipal water source or well water, Michiganders deserve clean drinking water. Many communities, including Oscoda in my district, have for years been dealing with the impact of contaminated well water. Having an easy interactive online tool through the EPA will make it easier for people to test their well water and make sure it is safe to drink and free from PFAS chemicals,” Congressman Kildee said. “I am proud to have worked with both Republicans and Democrats on this legislation and I will continue to push legislation to make sure all Americans have access to clean drinking water and address PFAS.”
“People in Northeast Wisconsin and across the country at a minimum deserve to know whether or not their water is contaminated by forever chemicals like PFAS,” said Congressman Gallagher. “By creating an easy-to-use tool that allows individuals to test their drinking water, we not only can get a better understanding of where contamination is, but ensure everyone has resources to know whether their water is clean. I urge my colleagues to take up this common-sense, bipartisan bill immediately. There’s no time to waste.”
In January, a version of this legislation passed the House of Representatives as part of H.R. 535, the PFAS Action Act. As a founding member of the bipartisan Congressional PFAS Task Force, Rep. Delgado has made addressing PFAS contamination in NY-19 an urgent priority in Congress. Earlier this year, the Congressman successfully amended the PFAS Action Act to include bipartisan amendments he helped to introduce: the PFAS Transparency Act and Clean Water Standards for PFAS Act. These bills seek to address indirect discharges, and keep drinking water safe in municipal waterways. In addition, during his January in-district work week, the Congressman attended the Hoosick Falls Community Working Group along with EPA Regional Administrator Pete Lopez. Following this meeting, the Congressman wrote a letter urging the EPA to announce their timeline for setting a Maximum Contaminant Level, or MCL, at the federal level.