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
April 10, 2024
Rep. Jeff Brand Applauds New EPA Regulations on PFAS in Drinking Water
SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced new federal regulations on PFAS and PFOS in drinking water. Rep. Jeff Brand (DFL – Saint Peter) spoke at a White House press briefing, among senior White House staff and EPA officials, to announce the regulations and highlight the importance of the measure on a local level. Polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, are cancer-causing “forever chemicals” that have been found in ground water across the state and the nation.
“Turning off the tap on PFAS is vital to public health, and we did that here in Minnesota last year,” said Rep. Brand. “With Amara’s Law, we put our community over corporations in a major stride to protect the next generation from these harmful chemicals. I’m thankful to the Biden-Harris Administration for doing the same on a federal level so that everyone, regardless of zip code, has access to safe drinking water without having to worry about these dangerous contaminants.”
Also representing Minnesota at the conference was Nora Strande, sister of Amara Strande, a young woman from Oakdale who died last year of a rare form of cancer caused by PFAS. She was 20 years old. Last year, DFLers passed “Amara’s Law,” which set water standards and banned non-essential PFAS use in a variety of products in Minnesota. Rep. Brand was the only State Official to participate in the conference, a testament to Minnesota’s leadership in PFAS prevention and clean-up efforts.
More information on the new EPA regulations can be found here.
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