GRAND RAPIDS, MI – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) will convene a Senate subcommittee field summit titled “Local, State and Federal Response to PFAS Contamination in Michigan” at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, November 13th in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Federal Spending Oversight and Emergency Management Subcommittee summit will highlight how exposure to PFAS chemicals impacts Michigan communities and inform potential federal actions to support local efforts to address PFAS contamination. The summit will build on a Subcommittee hearing held last month in Washington, DC at Peters’ request to assess the federal role in PFAS contamination.
“Despite Michigan’s abundance of freshwater, communities from Parchment to Oscoda are facing man-made drinking water crises due to PFAS contamination,” said Senator Peters, Ranking Member of the Federal Spending and Emergency Management Subcommittee. “Families across Michigan have been exposed to these dangerous chemicals, and the federal government has a responsibility to assist local communities as they monitor this crisis, begin cleaning up contaminated sites and prevent further harm to Michiganders.”
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of approximately 4,700 toxic chemicals that have been used for decades in firefighting foams and commercial applications, and have been linked to cancer as well as a wide variety of thyroid, kidney, liver, heart, reproductive and autoimmune problems.
Invited witnesses:
Panel I:
- Sandy Wynn-Stelt, resident of Belmont, Michigan
- Adam London, Administrative Health Officer, Kent County Health Department
- Dr. Rick Rediske, Senior Program Manager and Professor, Grand Valley State University Robert B. Annis Water Resources Institute
- Drew YoungeDyke, Communications Coordinator, National Wildlife Federation Great Lakes Regional Center
Panel II:
- Dr. Patrick Breysse, Director, National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR)
- Robert Delaney, Environmental Specialist, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ)
- Carol Issacs, Director, Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART)
- Cathy Stepp, Region V Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency
*Witness list and panels are subject to change.
WHO: U.S. Senator Gary Peters
WHAT: Peters to Convene Senate Subcommittee Field Summit on PFAS Contamination in Michigan
WHEN: Tuesday, November 13th at 10:00 AM
WHERE: Charles W. Loosemore Auditorium
Richard M. DeVos Center, Building E
Grand Valley State University
401 Fulton St W
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
Last month, Peters included a provision in legislation signed into law to give commercial airports the ability to discontinue the use of firefighting foams containing PFAS, since previous regulations requires the use of such foams. A member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Peters included language in the annual defense bill signed into law in September urging the Department of Defense (DoD) to develop fluorine-free firefighting foams. In August, Peters joined Senator Debbie Stabenow in introducing two bipartisan bills to require nationwide testing for PFAS contamination and to hold federal facilities, including active and decommissioned military bases, accountable for addressing PFAS contamination in Michigan and across the country.
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