Slotkin: PFAS contamination a 'tough issue' after Chevron overturned

(The Center Square) – Addressing chemical contamination in Michigan waterways, farmland and military bases remains a critical and complicated issue for legislators going into a new administration, Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., said on a telephone town hall Monday night.

“These kinds of issues are tough, right? We’ve got a lot of our manufacturers who use PFAS – the military uses it, firefighters use it. It is a tough thing to try and change up standards on all of these things,” Slotkin said.

PFAS, or Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of industrial chemicals, commonly used in manufacturing to make heat resistant, water repellent, and non-stick products. Dubbed “forever chemicals” because of their long half-life in the human body and environment, effects of prolonged exposure include cancer, high blood pressure, and pregnancy complications.

Although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency set legally enforceable drinking water standards for some PFAS in April, the Supreme Court’s overturning of Chevron in June could impact next steps.

“We’ve already seen a number of industry players like chemical companies file multiple challenges to the EPA’s PFAS efforts,” Slotkin said. “It is unclear how those legal challenges are going to play out, but they are sure to be complicated by the overturning of the Chevron deference principles. In terms of where we go from here, I think it is increasingly important for Congress to pass really hyper specific, thoughtful legislation authorizing the efforts of the EPA on things like PFAS drinking water standards.”

Decades of unregulated disposal has resulted in widespread contamination across the nation and world, with Michigan alone having at least 294 contaminated sites , according to the state's Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.

“In addition to PFAS in water, we have seen the impact that PFAS has had on our agricultural sector, our farmers, through the spread of fertilizers that are contaminated with PFAS on our farmlands,” Slotkin said. “We’ve had people lose their entire livelihoods.”

She also highlighted the state’s progress in addressing the PFAS problem, with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer updating Michigan’s drinking water standards in 2020 to include regulation of six different types of PFAS. Michigan is also one of six states that received federal funding for a chemical exposure monitoring program.

“Addressing PFAS is one of the most bipartisan issues I’ve worked on in Congress,” Slotkin said. “Of course, this doesn't mean we can take our foot off the gas. No matter what party is in charge, we need not only to maintain, but actually increase federal funding to accelerate PFAS cleanup. It's one thing to identify when we have a PFAS contamination problem, but we need dollars to help clean that up.”

Michigan residents can find more information on PFAS regulatory efforts, testing options, and contamination sites in the state by visiting the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team website .