WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the full agenda for the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) community engagement in Fayetteville, North Carolina at the Crown Ballroom. Following the historic National Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C. in May and Community Engagement events in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Colorado, this event allows EPA to hear directly from North Carolina communities, including state and local partners, about their experiences with PFAS.
Additional details are posted on the PFAS Community Engagement Website.
Both sessions are open to the public and the press. Citizens will be able to register or sign up to speak in person at the event. Registration is not required to attend or speak.
Citizens are also encouraged to submit written statements to the public docket at https://www.regulations.gov/ enter docket number: OW-2018-0270.
These community engagement events are critical to understand ways the Agency can best support the work that’s being done at the state, local, and tribal levels. Using information from the National Leadership Summit, community engagements, and public input provided by the docket, EPA plans to develop a PFAS Management Plan for release later this year.
EPA has made addressing PFAS a priority, and EPA is moving expeditiously on the following actions:
- EPA will initiate steps to evaluate the need for a maximum contaminant level (MCL) for PFOA and PFOS. We will convene our federal partners and examine everything we know about PFOA and PFOS in drinking water.
- EPA is beginning the necessary steps to propose designating PFOA and PFOS as “hazardous substances” through one of the available statutory mechanisms, including potentially CERCLA Section 102.
- EPA is currently developing groundwater cleanup recommendations for PFOA and PFOS at contaminated sites and will complete this task by fall of this year.
- EPA is taking action in close collaboration with our federal and state partners to develop toxicity values for GenX and PFBS later this year.
Background
PFAS is a group of man-made chemicals that have been widely used in everyday products since the 1940s. But PFAS compounds also can enter the environment, raising concerns about the potential environmental and health risks.;
Fayetteville, North Carolina marks the fourth community engagement event following events in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Colorado the past few months. Information on these community engagement events are available on the EPA website.
To learn more about PFAS, please visit: www.epa.govhttps://www.epa.gov/pfas