Federal Pfas Research Evaluation Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7289) to provide for the National Academies to study and report on a Federal research agenda to advance the understanding of PFAS, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 7289
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Federal PFAS Research Evaluation Act''. SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of man-made chemicals that have been used in a wide range of products since the 1940s including firefighting foam, carpeting, packaging, and cookware. There are more than 5,000 types of registered PFAS compounds. This chemical class is not currently regulated at the Federal level.
(2) PFAS have been detected in air, water, soil, food, biosolids, and more. They can accumulate and remain in the body for a long time, and potentially lead to serious health effects including cancer, low infant birthweight, liver and kidney issues, reproductive and developmental problems, and more.
(3) There remains much unknown about PFAS toxicity, human and environmental health effects, exposure pathways, as well as effective removal, treatment, and destruction methods, and safe alternatives to PFAS.
(4) Federal research efforts have been fragmented at various agencies and struggled to effectively address the full scope of challenges presented by PFAS.
(5) Regulatory action and cleanup depend on scientific analysis of toxicity data, decision making on how best to deal with PFAS, and understanding the significance of the many exposure pathways that exist. A consensus study by the National Academies would help inform decisions by Federal and State Governments, industry, and other stakeholders on how to best address PFAS. SEC. 3. NATIONAL ACADEMIES REPORTS.
(a) Research Assessments of PFAS.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date on which amounts are appropriated for fiscal year 2023 to carry out this section, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, in consultation with the Director of the National Science Foundation, the Secretary of Defense, the Director of the National Institutes of Health, and other Federal agencies with expertise relevant to understanding PFAS exposure, behavior, and toxicity, shall enter into an agreement with the National Academies to conduct a study and submit a report in accordance with this subsection to further address research and knowledge gaps identified by the Federal Government Human Health PFAS Research Workshop held on October 26 and 27, 2020, and identify research and development needed to identify, categorize, evaluate, and address individual or total PFAS.
(2) Study and report on human exposure estimation.--
(A) In general.--The study required to be conducted under paragraph (1) shall, at a minimum--
(i) consider life-cycle information on the manufacture, use, and disposal of PFAS-containing products to identify potential human exposure sources, including occupational exposures, and potential exposure pathways for the public;
(ii) evaluate the fate and transport of PFAS and their breakdown products;
(iii) if feasible, estimate human exposure to individual or total PFAS to determine relative source contributions for various exposure pathways (such as air, water, soil, or food);
(iv) determine the range of solubility, stability, and volatility of PFAS most likely to be found in the environment and the resulting prevalence in animals and humans;
(v) give consideration as to whether chemical category- based approaches would be appropriate for evaluating PFAS toxicity and exposure;
(vi) identify research needed to advance exposure estimation to individual or total PFAS; and
(vii) identify research needed to advance toxicity and hazard assessment of individual or total PFAS.
(B) Report.--Not later than 540 days after the date on which the agreement described in paragraph (1) is finalized, the National Academies shall submit to Congress a report containing the findings and recommendations of the study described in subparagraph (A) and shall make such report available on a publicly accessible website.
(b) Research Assessment of Management and Treatment Alternatives for PFAS Contamination in the Environment.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date on which amounts are appropriated for fiscal year 2023 to carry out this section, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Director of the National Science Foundation, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and other Federal agencies with expertise relevant to the development of PFAS alternatives and the management and treatment of PFAS, shall jointly enter into an agreement with the National Academies to conduct a study and submit a report in accordance with this subsection to better understand the research and development needed to advance the understanding of the extent and implications of human and environmental contamination by PFAS, how to manage and treat such contamination, and the development of safe alternatives.
(2) Scope of study.--The study described in paragraph (1) shall, at a minimum, include the following:
(A) An assessment of the best available strategies for PFAS treatment, site remediation, and safe disposal, including demonstration or pilot projects related to destruction methods and alternative materials or tools for firefighters.
(B) A description of the research gaps relating to such issues, including consideration of emerging or future PFAS and potential classification methods.
(C) Recommendations on how the Federal Government can best address the research needs identified pursuant to subparagraph (B) through increased collaboration or coordination of existing and new programs.
(D) Recommendations on how research can best incorporate considerations of socioeconomic issues into the development of research proposals and the conduct of research.
(3) Report.--Not later than 540 days after the date on which the agreement described in paragraph (1) is finalized, the National Academies shall submit to Congress a report containing the findings and recommendations of the study described in paragraph (2) and shall make such report available on a publicly accessible website.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 2023 $3,000,000 to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out this section. SEC. 4. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.
Not later than 180 days after submission to Congress of latest of the National Academies reports under section 3, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, in coordination with all relevant Federal agencies, shall submit to Congress an implementation plan for increased collaboration and coordination of Federal PFAS research, development, and demonstration activities. In preparing such an implementation plan, the Director shall take into consideration the recommendations included in the reports in section 3. SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) National academies.--The term ``National Academies'' means the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
(2) PFAS.--The term ``PFAS'' means per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, including mixtures of such substances.
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Mr. BEYER. 7289, the bill now under consideration.
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Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7289, the Federal PFAS Research Evaluation Act.
PFAS are a class of substances that are commonly referred to as forever chemicals because of their persistence throughout the environment. These chemicals are found within countless household items such as cooking appliances, weatherproof clothing, and even food packaging.
While this heat-, water-, and oil-resistant chemical was created over 80 years ago to solve problems, it has become increasingly clear it has created more problems than it solved.
Traces of PFAS can also be found within the human body, animals, drinking water, fish, and soil. In fact, a recent report by the CDC found PFAS was in the blood of 97 percent of Americans.
Despite the shocking finding on the prevalence of PFAS in the human body, there is little data that examines the long-term health and environmental implications of these artificial chemicals. There are also many research gaps in our understanding of these substances overall.
H.R. 7289 would help address these gaps by authorizing the Environmental Protection Agency to enter into agreements with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study the impact of PFAS on human and environmental health through a series of reports. These reports would touch on outstanding questions such as human exposure pathways to PFAS. They would also help to identify critical research gaps related to managing PFAS and examining safe chemical alternatives.
Finally, these studies would inform an Office of Science and Technology Policy implementation plan for Federal research, development, and demonstration activities for PFAS.
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleagues on the Science Committee, Representatives Lizzie Fletcher and Peter Meijer, for introducing this commonsense and bipartisan legislation, and I encourage my colleagues to support its passage.
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Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time to speak on this bill, and I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I, too, urge my colleagues to support H.R. 7289, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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