Shaheen Lauds Biden Administration on Proposed EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations for PFAS Chemicals

**Shaheen leads action in the U.S. Senate that invests in PFAS research, prevention and remediation.**

**Senator Shaheen has worked for years to secure federal drinking water standards for PFOA and PFOS.**

**Shaheen was a lead negotiator of the water provisions in the bipartisan infrastructure law and helped steer record-level funding to address PFAS contamination. **

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) issued the following statement lauding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement that it will formally propose new maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for some of the most prevalent per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water. PFAS chemicals have been linked to serious adverse health ailments, which is why Shaheen has led action in the Senate for years on prevention, remediation and research to combat exposure and deliver long-awaited answers to Granite Staters and Americans about the possible health implications for those affected by PFAS contamination.

“I applaud Administrator Regan and President Biden for taking this bold step forward that will help ensure our water is safe for New Hampshire families and that parents have the peace of mind they deserve when they turn on the tap,” said Shaheen. “This has long been a top concern for me and is why as a lead negotiator of the water provisions in the bipartisan infrastructure bill, I fought to include a historic level of funding - $10 billion – to combat PFAS exposure. These dollars will be crucial in providing our municipalities with the resources they will need to comply with these new regulations so that together we can prioritize clean water for our communities. As this process moves forward and with the anticipation of the rule being finalized, I urge the Biden administration to move swiftly and ensure timely allocation of funds from the infrastructure bill to assist public water operators as they begin work to meet these new enforceable drinking water levels.”

The EPA’s proposed MCLs and rules for certain PFAS chemicals can be found here.

Senator Shaheen leads efforts in Congress to uncover the potential health effects related to PFAS contamination, respond to the chemical exposure and remediate polluted sites. Shaheen has fought to secure consistent federal support for the PFAS health impact study that she established four years ago. Because of her efforts, Pease is serving as a model site for the nationwide study. As a lead negotiator of water provisions in the bipartisan infrastructure law, Shaheen secured record-level funding to upgrade drinking water and wastewater infrastructure and address PFAS contamination, including $72 million in grants to New Hampshire for the first of five years of funding. Last month, Shaheen led the congressional delegation in announcing over $23.1 million for clean water infrastructure upgrades, including PFAS efforts, which were also allocated through the bipartisan infrastructure law. In the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 government funding law that Shaheen helped write, she helped secure support for the EPA to address treatment solutions, conduct research and undertake regulatory actions outlined in the PFAS Strategic Roadmap. Shaheen also helped secure more than $224 million in funding for PFAS investigation, testing, remediation and disposal on and around U.S. military installations. The law will provide more than $35 million for aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) removal and remediation.  

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Shaheen included her bipartisan Safe Drinking Water Assistance Act in the annual defense bill signed into law in December 2019. The legislation expedites analysis of water contaminants like PFAS, provides support and resources to states dealing with the health challenges posed by these potentially harmful materials and establishes a national strategy to coordinate the federal response to emerging contaminants.  Shaheen repeatedly pressed EPA and Department of Defense (DOD) officials under the Trump administration on establishing more aggressive federal drinking water standards for PFAS chemicals when it was reported the Trump administration was attempting to do the opposite. Senator Shaheen had previously led a bipartisan letter with Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) that called on the EPA to establish federal drinking water standards for PFOA and PFOS.

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