House Dems Pull PFAS Provisions from NDAA

House Democrats have pulled provisions that would strongly regulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

Politico reports that House Armed Services Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) have pulled the provisions that would force the cleanup of the two most notorious PFAS chemicals—perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate—under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Superfund law and to regulate them in drinking water. PFAS provisions had been a major source of tension between House and Senate negotiators.

Among other things, the provisions would have required EPA to set a national primary drinking water standard, regulate air emissions of PFAS, require polluters to report PFAS releases and kickstart the cleanup of contaminated sites. The latest move to remove those provisions could jeopardize the bill's chances in the House, where 68 members said in October that they would vote against the NDAA if it did not include strong PFAS provisions.

Politico has more:

House Democrats have dropped their bid to include key provisions regulating PFAS in the annual defense bill, according to two sources familiar with the negotiations — a move that could imperil the bill's chances in the lower chamber.

According to the sources, House Armed Services Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) have pulled from negotiations the provisions that would force the cleanup of the chemicals PFOA and PFOS under the Superfund law and to regulate them in drinking water. The Superfund provision, in particular, had been a major source of tension as House and Senate negotiators seek to finalize a deal on the defense bill this week.

Read the full article here.