Bill Summary
This legislation, known as the Federal PFAS Research Evaluation Act, aims to address the issue of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the United States. These man-made chemicals have been used in a wide range of products since the 1940s and have been detected in air, water, soil, food, and more, with potential health effects such as cancer and reproductive problems. The Act calls for the National Academies to conduct two studies to assess human exposure and toxicity of PFAS and to evaluate management and treatment alternatives for PFAS contamination. These studies will help inform decision making by federal and state governments, industry, and other stakeholders. The Act also includes an implementation plan for federal research, development, and demonstration activities and defines key terms used in the legislation.
Possible Impacts
1. People who have been exposed to PFAS chemicals through their work or living environment may be negatively affected by the lack of federal regulation and understanding of the potential health effects. This could lead to long-term health problems and financial burden for individuals and families.
2. Communities near military bases or areas with heavy industrial use of PFAS may be impacted by the lack of cohesive, interagency effort to address PFAS. This could result in contaminated drinking water and environmental damage, causing health issues and property devaluation for residents.
3. Scientists and researchers studying PFAS may be affected by the limited amount of funding allocated for the National Academies to conduct research and reports on PFAS. This could hinder their ability to fully understand the toxicity and effects of PFAS, leading to a slower and less comprehensive response to the issue.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7348 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7348
To provide for the National Academies to study and report on a Federal
research agenda to advance the understanding of PFAS, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 25, 2020
Mrs. Fletcher (for herself, Ms. Slotkin, and Mr. Posey) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space,
and Technology
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for the National Academies to study and report on a Federal
research agenda to advance the understanding of PFAS, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Federal PFAS Research Evaluation
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
are a group of man-made chemicals that have been used in a wide
range of products since the 1940s including firefighting foam,
carpeting, packaging, and cookware. There are more than 5,000
types of registered PFAS compounds. This chemical class is not
currently regulated at the Federal level.
(2) PFAS have been detected in air, water, soil, food,
biosolids, and more. They accumulate and remain in the body for
a long time, and can lead to serious health effects including
cancer, low infant birthweight, liver and kidney issues,
reproductive and developmental problems, and more.
(3) There remains much unknown about PFAS toxicity, human
and environmental health effects, exposure pathways, as well as
effective removal, treatment, and destruction methods, and safe
alternatives to PFAS.
(4) There is currently no cohesive, interagency effort to
address PFAS, and no Federal agency is focused on a
multidisciplinary, cross-sector approach. Rather, there are
fragmented efforts at various agencies that have failed to
address the full scope of challenges presented by PFAS.
(5) Regulatory action and cleanup depend on scientific
analysis of toxicity data, decision making on how best to deal
with the thousands of PFAS, and understanding the significance
of the many exposure pathways that exist. A consensus study by
the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
would help inform decisions by Federal and State Governments,
industry, and other stakeholders on how to best address PFAS.
SEC. 3. NATIONAL ACADEMIES REPORTS.
(a) Research Assessments of PFAS Exposure and Toxicity.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency, in consultation with the Director of the
National Science Foundation, the Secretary of Defense, the
Director of the National Institutes of Health, and other
Federal agencies with expertise relevant to understanding PFAS
exposure and toxicity, shall enter into an agreement with the
National Academies to conduct a two-phase study and submit
reports in accordance with this subsection to identify research
and development needed to advance human exposure estimation and
toxicity and hazard estimation of individual or total PFAS.
(2) Phase i study and report on human exposure
estimation.--
(A) In general.--The phase I study required to be
conducted under paragraph (1) shall, at a minimum--
(i) consider life-cycle information on the
manufacture, use, and disposal of PFAS-
containing products to identify exposure
sources and potential exposure pathways for the
public;
(ii) evaluate the fate and transport of
PFAS and their breakdown products;
(iii) if feasible, estimate exposure to
individual or total PFAS to determine relative
source contributions for various exposure
pathways (such as air, water, soil, or food);
(iv) determine environmentally relevant
PFAS; and
(v) identify research needed to advance
exposure estimation to individual or total
PFAS.
(B) Report.--Not later than 270 days after the date
on which the agreement described in paragraph (1) is
finalized, the National Academies shall submit to
Congress a report containing the findings and
recommendations of the study described in subparagraph
(A) and shall make such report available on a publicly
accessible website.
(3) Phase ii study and report on pfas toxicity and hazard
estimation.--
(A) In general.--The phase II study required to be
conducted under paragraph (1) shall, at a minimum--
(i) review animal and human toxicity
information on the environmentally relevant
PFAS identified in the Phase I report under
paragraph (2) and develop an approach for
conducting a hazard assessment of these PFAS;
(ii) give consideration as to whether
chemical category-based approaches for
assessing toxicity would be appropriate for
evaluating PFAS as a group; and
(iii) identify research needed to advance
toxicity and hazard assessment of individual or
total PFAS.
(B) Report.--Not later than 270 days after the date
on which the Phase I report is submitted to Congress
under paragraph (2), the National Academies shall
submit to Congress a report containing the findings and
recommendations of the study described in subparagraph
(A) and shall make such report available on a publicly
accessible website.
(b) Research Assessment of Management and Treatment Alternatives
for PFAS Contamination in the Environment.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency and the Director of the National Science
Foundation, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and
other Federal agencies with expertise relevant to the
development of PFAS alternatives and the management and
treatment of PFAS, shall jointly enter into an agreement with
the National Academies to conduct a study and submit a report
in accordance with this subsection to better understand the
research and development needed to advance the understanding of
the extent and implications of environmental contamination by
PFAS, how to manage and treat such contamination, and the
development of safe alternatives.
(2) Scope of study.--The study described in paragraph (1)
shall, at a minimum, include the following:
(A) An assessment of the current research on such
issues.
(B) A description of the research gaps relating to
such issues.
(C) Recommendations on how the Federal Government
can address the research needs identified pursuant to
subparagraph (B).
(D) Recommendations on how research can best
incorporate considerations of socioeconomic issues into
the development of research proposals and the conduct
of research.
(3) Report.--Not later than 540 days after the date on
which the agreement described in paragraph (1) is finalized,
the National Academies shall submit to Congress a report
containing the findings and recommendations of the study
described in paragraph (2) and shall make such report available
on a publicly accessible website.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section--
(1) to the Administrator of Environmental Protection
Agency, $3,000,000; and
(2) to the Director of the National Science Foundation,
$1,000,000.
SEC. 4. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.
Not later than 180 days after submission to Congress of latest of
the National Academies reports under section 3, the Director of the
Office of Science and Technology Policy, in coordination with all
relevant Federal agencies, shall submit to Congress an implementation
plan for Federal PFAS research, development, and demonstration
activities. In preparing such an implementation plan, the Director
shall take into consideration the recommendations included in the
reports in section 3.
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) National academies.--The term ``National Academies''
means the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and
Medicine.
(2) PFAS.--The term ``PFAS'' means per- and polyfluoroalkyl
substances.
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