Senator Gillibrand Calls On EPA To Use New Toxic Substances Law To Determine If Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) Should Be Restricted Or Banned

Statement

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, today sent a letter calling on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use the brand new powers provided by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act to determine if perfluorooctanoic acid, commonly known as PFOA, should be restricted or banned at the federal level. President Obama signed the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, a bill to reform the Toxic Substance Control Act, into law this week.

"I am deeply disturbed that the people of the Village of Hoosick Falls, Town of Petersburgh, and Town of Hoosick have been exposed to PFOA through their drinking water," said Senator Gillibrand. "Given the concerns about the serious effects of PFOA on public health, using their new authorities to regulate chemicals, I urge EPA to make a determination as soon as possible as to whether this chemical should be restricted or banned at the federal level. An EPA assessment would give New Yorkers a better understanding of the long-term effects of PFOA exposure and ensure our communities are better protected against this chemical."

In February 2016, Senator Gillibrand urged EPA to expedite the clean-up of Hoosick Falls, by designating them a federal Superfund site. Senator Gillibrand also sent a letter to Senator James Inhofe, Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, in February 2016 requesting that the committee hold a hearing to examine the effects of PFOA on drinking water in the United States.

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