NEWS RELEASE
Rep. Jeff Brand
Minnesota House of Representatives
District 18A – 651-296-8634– rep.jeff.brand@house.mn.gov
501 State Office Building, St. Paul, MN 55155
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Marlee Schlegel
651-296-9873 or marlee.schlegel@house.mn.gov
March 14, 2023
Rep. Jeff Brand statement on the EPA’s PFAS drinking water regulation announcement
SAINT PAUL, Minn. - On Tuesday, the Biden Administration announced that the Environmental Protection Agency will require utilities to remove perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (known as PFAS) from drinking water. It is estimated that as many as 200 million Americans are currently exposed to PFAS chemicals through drinking water.
Representative Jeff Brand (DFL—Saint Peter) has been spearheading legislation to eliminate non-essential uses of PFAS in Minnesota, as part of the PFAS Prevention Package.
“I’m incredibly thankful that we will be seeing federal action on getting PFAS out of drinking water. Now, we need to take it a step further,” said Rep. Brand. “It’s corporate greed that got us into this mess, and we need to turn off the faucet on PFAS in more than just water. These cancer-causing chemicals are found in products and packaging we use every single day, and they're actively harming our health, our families, and our future. Thank you to President Biden for putting in these protections across the country so that we can trust our drinking water. Here in Minnesota, we’re going to finish the job and keep PFAS out of our everyday lives.”
The EPA regulation would include testing and filtering of six PFAS chemicals. There are currently more than 9,000 known PFAS chemicals in existence. A total of 31 state legislatures across the country have proposed or passed legislation to cut down on PFAS.
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