Senator Hassan Emphasizes Importance of Combating PFAS Contamination at First-Ever Senate Hearing on PFAS

WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, Senator Maggie Hassan, a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, participated yesterday in the first-ever Senate hearing on contamination of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water in New Hampshire and across the country.

Senator Hassan highlighted the importance of combating PFAS contamination and commended advocates in New Hampshire and across the country who have been tirelessly fighting to protect the health and well-being of their families and neighbors impacted by PFAS contamination. Senator Hassan pushed the Committee to invite Andrea Amico, a Portsmouth resident and co-founder of Testing for Pease, to testify at the hearing due to her extensive knowledge of the issue and advocacy work on behalf of the Pease community. Prior to the hearing, Senator Hassan also met with advocates from Merrimack about the issue.

Earlier this week, the Union of Concerned Scientists released a new analysis highlighting the significant health risks posed by PFAS.

See below for highlights of coverage:

WMUR: Portsmouth woman testifies at first U.S. Senate hearing on PFAS contamination

Click here to watch the report on WMUR

Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan brought concerns from Granite Staters on Wednesday in the first-ever U.S. Senate hearing on PFAS contamination.

Representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency, Health and Human Services and the Department of Defense fielded questions from Shaheen, Hassan and other U.S. senators about what is being done to study the health effects of the chemicals.

… Hassan invited Portsmouth resident Andrea Amico, who started the push for group testing for Pease International Tradeport.

… “I live every day with worry that my children, who were exposed to high levels of PFAS in their early life and at critical stages of their development, will now suffer adverse health effects over their lifetime,” Amico said. “However, I have channeled those feelings of anxiety and worry into my advocacy work by forming a community action group called Testing for Pease, with two other mothers, Alayna Davis and Michelle Dalton.”

Nashua Telegraph: N.H. residents testifying on PFAS in D.C.

Laurene Allen is one of several New Hampshire residents in Washington, D.C. this week to express concerns about chemicals associated with cancer and other health problems polluting the Granite State’s water.

… Wednesday, the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs conducted a hearing on PFAS. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., is a member of this committee.

“I want to thank all of the New Hampshire citizens who came to Washington today to advocate for the health and safety of their communities when it comes to PFAS chemicals in their drinking water. Their work and activism is critical to ensuring that Congress takes action,” Hassan tweeted shortly after the Wednesday session.

Hassan pushed for the committee to invite Andrea Amico, a Portsmouth resident and co-founder of Testing for Pease, a community action group, to testify.

“We want to show that we are real people; we are real families who have been impacted by this widespread contamination,” Amico said. “We want our government officials to understand what our needs are and what we need from them to help us solve this nationwide problem.”

Union Leader: NH activists urge Senate panel to address PFAS contamination

Several residents from New Hampshire traveled to Washington this week to participate in the first-ever Senate hearing on polyfluoroalkyl substances, urging legislators to take more action to address the growing contamination.

… Several Granite State residents attended the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs’ subcommittee hearing: The Federal Role in the Toxic PFAS Chemical Crisis.

…Before Wednesday’s special Senate hearing, the Union of Concerned Scientists released a new analysis highlighting the significant health risk posed by PFAS. 

“This report reaffirms what concerned Granite Staters already know — urgent federal action is needed to address PFAS contamination at military bases and communities across the country,” Sen. Maggie Hassan said in a release. “I’m glad to be participating in the first-ever Senate hearing on PFAS this week, but we have far more work to do to protect Granite Staters and Americans from contamination in their drinking water.”

Andrea Amico of Testing for Pease in Portsmouth also planned to testify at the hearing, saying it is important to show that there are real people with real families that have been impacted by the widespread contamination.

###