The FDA Reaches Agreement With Companies to Phase Out Food Packaging Containing PFAS

The FDA Reaches Agreement With Companies to Phase Out Food Packaging Containing PFAS

Last week, in a major but voluntary step, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it had secured and agreement with three manufacturers to phase out food packaging that uses the “Forever” chemical called 6:2 FTOH – one of the PFAS chemicals that has been linked to cancer. 

Why This Matters:  Many states are beginning to ban PFAS chemicals in food packaging, so this announcement by the FDA is a step in the right direction.

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House Dems Pack the “Minibus” Government Funding Bill With Environmental Fixes

House Dems Pack the “Minibus” Government Funding Bill With Environmental Fixes

It’s the time of year that Congress passes funding bills for agencies and this year’s mashup of bills — known as a “minibus” because it only funds some parts of the government — is chock full of environmental provisions intended to reverse Trump rollbacks, take actions the Administration has blocked, and to prevent them from taking others.

Why This Matters:  There are more than 100 environmental amendments that the House will debate and many will pass only on party lines.

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Lawmakers Attach Environmental Provisions to “Must-Pass” DoD Bill

Lawmakers Attach Environmental Provisions to “Must-Pass” DoD Bill

The annual bill authorizing all activities and purchases by the Defense Department is a popular “vehicle” to advance environmental provisions on banning and cleaning up “PFAS” and “PFOA” toxic “forever chemicals” that have contaminated water all across the country, particularly on military bases.

Why This Matters:  These issues are not new, nor is using this DoD legislation to advance important DoD-related environmental objectives.

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EPA Rule Unjustly Trumps State Clean Water Act Authority To Protect Rivers and Drinking Water

EPA Rule Unjustly Trumps State Clean Water Act Authority To Protect Rivers and Drinking Water

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) yesterday issued another rule dealing a blow to 40 years of settled law on the authority of states and tribes under the Clean Water Act to block fossil fuel projects such as natural gas pipelines and coal terminals that could pollute state waterways.

Why This Matters:  The EPA is turning the Clean Water Act on its head and undercutting states and tribes that are protecting the clean water and the health of their citizens.

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DoD Admits It Will Take Decades To Clean PFAS From Water Supplies

DoD Admits It Will Take Decades To Clean PFAS From Water Supplies

Last week the Defense Department (DoD) reported that 250 more installations had tested positive for PFAS contamination, and now they admit that it will take 30 years at least to test each site for PFAS, identify how the chemical has spread and then complete the cleanup. 

Why This Matters:  Many states are imposing limits well below the EPA’s 70 parts per trillion (ppt) guidance, but the DoD will only clean up drinking water that is above the EPA recommended level.

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New DoD Study Shows that 250 More Military Installations Have PFAS Contamination

New DoD Study Shows that 250 More Military Installations Have PFAS Contamination

DoD’s PFAS Task Force issued a report in which it admitted that the number of military installations that could be contaminated with the “forever chemicals” is far greater than they previously thought — the number jumped from 401 to 651.

Why This Matters:  DoD is continuing to document its failures and is not acting with enough urgency to address the toxic contamination at its installations, large and small across the country.

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