Fitzpatrick offers bipartisan bill listing PFAS as harmful air pollutants

A bipartisan bill introduced on March 17 by U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) would add per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to a federal list of toxic air pollutants.

“PFAS chemical contamination is a public health and environmental crisis that impacts millions of Americans, including many communities in my district,” said Rep. Fitzpatrick, co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional PFAS Task Force.

Rep. Fitzpatrick signed on as a cosponsor of the Prevent Release of Toxic Emissions, Contamination and Transfer (PROTECT) Act of 2022, H.R. 7142, alongside bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) to direct the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to issue a final rule adding as a class all PFAS having at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom to the list of hazardous air pollutants under section 112(b) of the Clean Air Act, according to the congressional record bill summary.

“The EPA must take comprehensive action to address these harmful forever chemicals, and they can start by classifying toxic PFAS chemicals as hazardous air pollutants under the Clean Air Act,” Rep. Fitzpatrick said.

PFAS, which are man-made hazardous chemicals, have been detected at airports, military bases, firehouses, fire training facilities, waste-water treatment plants, and other industrial sites, according to information provided by Rep. Fitzpatrick’s office, which noted that exposure to them has been linked to cancer and other illnesses.

“PFAS is a major environmental crisis facing Michiganders,” Rep. Stevens said. “In order to adequately and effectively address this threat, we need to acknowledge PFAS as an environmental hazard and conduct much-needed research so that we fully understand the danger that PFAS contamination poses to Michiganders.”

The bill has been referred to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee for consideration.