House Passes Defense Authorization with Boyle Provisions to Fight PFC Water Contamination

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, as part of the House-Senate National Defense Authorization Act conference package, the House of Representatives passed provisions secured by Congressman Brendan F. Boyle (PA-13) to combat water contamination caused by firefighting chemicals used on military properties nationwide, including Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove and Horsham Air Guard Station in Pennsylvania. The legislation is now expected to pass the Senate and soon be signed into law.

Specifically, Boyle's provisions authorize higher federal spending to remediate the contamination ($42 million for the Navy and $30 million for the Air Force), and mandate a Department of Defense study and report to Congress on finding safer, effective alternatives to the firefighting foam that caused the contamination. The package also authorizes $7 million in funding for a nationwide study on health effects of PFCs (including PFOA and PFOS), the chemical compounds contained in the firefighting foams, to be conducted by the CDC. Such a study has been a high priority for Boyle and other Members of Congress representing affected communities across the country. This past summer, Boyle also secured $60 million for Navy and Air Force environmental remediation to address the water contamination in the annual Defense Appropriations bill, which allocates federal funds as authorized in the NDAA, and introduced legislation (H.R. 3106) to require an enforceable EPA Safe Drinking Water Act regulation for PFCs, including PFOA and PFOS, rather than the current voluntary guideline.

"This is a huge step for our community and for all those across the country who have suffered from the effects of unsafe drinking water because of the use of these firefighting foams," said Congressman Boyle after the passage of the NDAA House-Senate Conference bill today. "I am proud to be leading this fight along with my colleagues from Pennsylvania and other impacted states, and I will keep fighting to secure every possible resource to safeguard the health of our communities and prevent this from happening again."

"This legislation will provide new funding for environmental cleanup; community support; investigations into the health effects of these polluting chemicals; and a transition to safer, effective alternatives to these firefighting foams," continued Boyle. "I thank the Armed Services Committee for working with me to secure these gains, and I vow to keep fighting to ensure the federal government treats these contaminants with the seriousness they merit."

Ameliorating water contamination surrounding defense properties has been a top priority for Congressman Boyle throughout his tenure in Congress. In September, the House adopted Congressman Boyle's amendment to provide $1.9 million additional funding for the Agency for Toxic Substances and Diseases Registry (ATSDR), the agency heading local medical testing and health studies in response to water contamination stemming from the use of AFFF firefighting chemicals. In June, Boyle re-introduced his bipartisan legislation, H.R. 3106, that would require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to set an enforceable, nationwide primary drinking water standard for PFCs.
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