[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 128 (Wednesday, July 21, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H3761-H3762]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            PFAS ACTION ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Michigan (Ms. Slotkin) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. SLOTKIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the PFAS 
Action Act, a bill that I am proud to cosponsor and that will address a 
critically important issue in my district and across the country, PFAS 
contamination.
  This bill will take bold action to address PFAS contamination and it 
contains a number of provisions in particular that will affect our 
smallest communities; and I want to share those today.
  From the very early days when I became a Member of Congress, one of 
the issues that my residents were talking about more than anything else 
was the need to access clean water. In particular, Michiganders are 
concerned about increasing levels of PFAS and other toxic chemicals 
that we are continuing to find in our drinking water.
  In Michigan, water is our identity. We are the home of the Great 
Lakes, and protecting our water and our waters is one of the most 
bipartisan issues you will find in the State of Michigan.
  I have always believed that environmental security is homeland 
security, because it is about the safety and security of our kids and 
the preservation of our way of life in Michigan.
  If you can't take your grandchildren fishing in the lakes you grew up 
on, or can't safely hand your child a glass of water without knowing 
they might get a learning disability, that is a threat to your family.
  We have kicked the can down the road long enough when it comes to 
finally addressing the PFAS issue, and I am happy to stand here today 
to fight for a bill that will make a real difference in people's lives 
when it comes to clean water.
  Today, the House is going to vote on several amendments that I 
drafted and introduced and come directly from on-the-ground 
conversations I have had with residents in my district. Here is a story 
for you:
  In Michigan, roughly 25 percent of our households get our water from 
private wells, including myself and my family farm. And even though 
there is a great deal of public reporting on PFAS contamination in our 
public water sources, those of us who have private wells do not have a 
ton of access to best practices, information, how we test.
  So back in 2020, I went on a wells and waterways tour in my district 
and hosted an evening in Davisburg, in Oakland County, right before 
COVID came to us to talk directly with people who have private wells 
about how we can make sure that our water is protected, clean, safe, 
and tested.
  The response was overwhelming. We had 150 people on a weekday to talk 
about how we protect those of us on private wells. Most people do not 
have the resources, information, or tools they need to get their 
private wells tested.
  These questions led to a bill that I am proud to cosponsor called the 
Test Your Well Water Act, which ended up being included in the PFAS 
Action Act. It requires the EPA to set up a website with information 
for residents on private wells, including how to get your water tested, 
treatment options, and financial assistance to help homeowners afford 
the necessary treatment.
  I also wrote an amendment to the PFAS Action Act to ensure that this 
website also contains information about the health risks associated 
with PFAS. My goal was to create a resource that would be able to 
answer the questions I received from my constituents a little over a 
year ago in Davisburg.
  The fight to protect safe drinking water for all Michiganders 
actually starts usually with local advocacy from people in our 
districts who are directly impacted by that PFAS contamination. This 
includes people like Stacy Taylor.

  Stacy is a resident of my town of Holly, Michigan, and she gets her 
water directly from a well on her property. When she and her husband 
started experiencing serious health effects, she suspected there may be 
PFAS in her water supply.
  Stacy conducted intense research on her well and Holly's history, 
digging through old documents, deeds, and maps to figure out where the 
problem may lie. When she presented her findings to our office--and she 
was diligent about coming to find me everywhere I was in the district--
we reached out to the State agency that is responsible for testing our 
water sources in Michigan, and it turns out Stacy was right. There was 
PFAS in her water supply--in our water supply.
  But discovering the contamination isn't the end of the story. We have 
to make sure that our towns and cities can clean up these chemicals and 
provide their residents with clean water, even our smallest 
communities.
  Because of Stacy's dogged advocacy and countless other local folks 
across my district, one of my amendments to the PFAS Action Act will 
beef up assistance to local and community governments that would 
otherwise really struggle to pay for PFAS cleanup. The cost can often 
be prohibitive.
  The stories my constituents have shared have helped shape this bill 
to be more effective and impactful. In the

[[Page H3762]]

richest and most powerful country on Earth, we have to have the ability 
to provide clean water to our citizens. We have to be able to lead 
healthy lives, and that certainly includes guaranteeing a clean water 
supply.
  Madam Speaker, I am proud to support the PFAS Action Act, and I urge 
my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do the same.

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