Hearing On PFAS Contamination Next Week

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Governor Rick Snyder is applauding an announcement this week that the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Environment has scheduled a hearing on PFAS contamination in water systems. The subcommittee will learn about the situation in Parchment this summer, hearing from the head of the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team. The governor says the “emerging contaminants known as PFAS are a national concern and need a national spotlight to be addressed appropriately.” Congressman Fred Upton tells us the hearing will be next week, and he believes it will start the process of ensuring the problems of Parchment won’t be experienced again. He says he’s working on legislation that would require the Environmental Protection Agency to publish drinking water regulations for PFAS nationwide. About 3,000 residents of the Parchment area in Kalamazoo County were unable to drink their local water for weeks this summer when high levels of the carcinogen PFAS were found in the system. Parchment is now getting its water from the city of Kalamazoo.