Senator Hassan Statement on EPA Proposal to Label Two Widely Used PFAS Chemicals as “Hazardous”

WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan applauded a proposal from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take action to protect families from the dangers of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The EPA is proposing to designate two PFAS substances -- perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) – as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as Superfund. The proposed rule would protect public health by increasing transparency around these releases of these substances, while also holding polluters accountable for cleaning up their contamination.

“PFAS chemicals pose a serious threat to the health and well-being of Granite Staters, and we need to be doing all that we can to ensure that people are protected from them,” said Senator Hassan. “This announcement is an important step toward addressing PFAS contamination and ensuring that those who pollute are held accountable. I’ll keep working with my colleagues to address the dangers of PFAS and give families certainty that they are safe from these chemicals.”

Senator Hassan has worked to address PFAS contamination and ensure that communities in New Hampshire have access to clean and safe drinking water. The bipartisan infrastructure law that Senator Hassan helped negotiate includes meaningful investments to help communities afford critical water infrastructure projects, including an estimated more than $400 million for water infrastructure improvements in New Hampshire, and dedicated funding to address PFAS contamination. The bill also includes a measure authored by Senator Hassan to better ensure that more New Hampshire towns would be eligible for an advanced technology grant program that can be used remove contaminants, including PFAS, from drinking water. Senator Hassan also introduced a bill to ban PFAS chemicals in containers that touch food – a measure that recently passed out of the Senate HELP committee – and joined in introducing a bill banning the inclusion of PFAS chemicals in cosmetics products, such as makeup, moisturizer and perfume.

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