{"id":23389,"date":"2022-09-09T00:08:57","date_gmt":"2022-09-09T00:08:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saj.pachecostudios.com?p=23389"},"modified":"2022-09-09T00:08:59","modified_gmt":"2022-09-09T00:08:59","slug":"senate-unanimously-passes-bipartisan-bill-to-reduce-the-spread-of-toxic-pfas-at-commercial-airports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/national-news\/senate-unanimously-passes-bipartisan-bill-to-reduce-the-spread-of-toxic-pfas-at-commercial-airports\/%20","title":{"rendered":"Senate Unanimously Passes Bipartisan Bill to Reduce the Spread of Toxic PFAS at Commercial Airports"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Sen. Gary Peters<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) today announced bipartisan\nlegislation he authored to reduce the spread of toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl\nsubstances (PFAS) contamination at commercial airports has passed the U.S.\nSenate unanimously. The Preventing PFAS Runoff at Airports Act would deploy\nmore existing Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funding for commercial\nairports to purchase devices necessary to test their firefighting equipment\nwithout discharging toxic PFAS chemicals. This legislation would encourage\ncommercial airports to purchase the relatively low-cost devices \u2013 also referred\nto as an input-based testing system \u2013 to help limit and prevent exposure to\nPFAS, which are known as \u201cforever chemicals\u201d because they do not naturally\nbreak down. It would also direct the FAA to identify options for reimbursing\nairports in Michigan and elsewhere that already acquired the devices without\nfederal funding. Prior to passing the Senate with unanimous support, Peters\u2019\nlegislation was previously approved by the Senate Commerce, Science and\nTransportation Committee where Peters is a member, in addition to Chairman of\nthe Commerce Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Maritime, Freight and\nPorts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are commonsense, fiscally responsible steps we can\ntake to further mitigate PFAS contamination,\u201d said Senator Peters, a member of\nthe Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. \u201cI\u2019m pleased my\nbipartisan Preventing PFAS Runoff at Airports Act passed the Senate, because it\nwould incentivize commercial airports nationwide to use existing federal funds\nto buy testing equipment that prevents the spread of PFAS contamination into\nthe surrounding environment. The bill would also make this equipment more\naffordable, while protecting our airports, first responders, families, and the\nGreat Lakes \u2013 and I\u2019ll push to get it signed into law.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCommercial airports should have the necessary equipment to\ntest their firefighting equipment in a manner that does not expose firefighters\nor the surrounding communities to toxic PFAS foams,\u201d said Senator Moran.\n\u201cPassing this legislation in the Senate is the first step to promote the health\nand wellness of firefighters and aviation employees at commercial airports, as\nwell as protect the communities that surround them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe FAA requires regular testing of firefighting equipment,\nwhich may put undue burdens on regional, commercial airports, and lead to the\ndischarge of harmful chemicals like PFAS,\u201d said Senator Capito. \u201cSpecifically,\nthe Preventing PFAS Runoff at Airports Act would benefit several airports in\nWest Virginia \u2013 like Yeager, Greenbrier, and Mid-Ohio Valley \u2013 and improve\noverall safety of their operations. I\u2019m pleased my colleagues joined our effort\nto advance this legislation in the Senate, recognizing the importance of\ntesting airport rescue and firefighting equipment without dispersing dangerous\nPFAS chemicals into the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs we work to ensure the safety of all travelers and\nairport workers, reducing the spread of toxic substances must be a priority,\u201d\nsaid Senator Klobuchar. \u201cThis bill will make a real difference by aiding airports\nin obtaining the equipment needed to help prevent toxic substance\ncontamination. Now that it has passed the Senate, I look forward to it being\nsigned into law.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPFAS contaminations around airports is a serious problem\nwith a very easy solution. With simple testing solutions that are already\nfunded under the Federal Aviation Administration\u2019s (FAA) Airport Improvement\nProgram, we can protect the environment without creating more burdensome\nregulations on small airports around Wyoming,\u201d said Senator Lummis. \u201cI am\nthrilled this important legislation passed the Senate, and I hope the House\nwill pass it quickly. Thank you, Senator Peters, for your work on this\nlegislation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve known for decades that some PFAS chemicals pose a\ndangerous risk to public health,\u201d said Senator Duckworth. \u201cDespite this\nknowledge, we\u2019ve continued to use these harmful foams to put out\nfires\u2014especially at airports\u2014and continued to allow them to seep into our\nground, our water and ultimately to our neighbors and loved ones. We need to do\nmore to reduce the spread of toxic PFAS contamination using common-sense\nsolutions that are already available, which is why I\u2019m proud this important\nbill passed the Senate and hope it can quickly become law.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The FAA has required commercial airports nationwide to use\nfirefighting foam that contains toxic PFAS chemicals. For years airports were\nrequired to discharge this foam as part of routine, federally mandated testing\nof their firefighting equipment. This put firefighters, the environment and the\npublic at risk from exposure to toxic PFAS chemicals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Preventing PFAS Runoff at Airports Act \u2013 which Peters\nintroduced earlier this year with U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-KS), Tammy\nDuckworth (D-IL), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Cynthia\nLummis (R-WY) \u2013 would make more funding from the FAA\u2019s Airport Improvement\nProgram available to commercial airports to purchase devices that avoid\ndischarging PFAS chemicals when testing firefighting equipment. It would also\ndirect the FAA to identify options for reimbursing airports in Michigan and\nelsewhere that already acquired the devices without federal funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peters has led the charge in the Senate to address PFAS\ncontamination. In July, Peters introduced bipartisan legislation to help\nadvance the federal government\u2019s understanding of toxic per- and\npolyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to better inform plans to effectively address\nPFAS contamination. As Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and\nGovernmental Affairs Committee, last month he held a field hearing in East\nLansing to examine federal efforts and coordination with state and local\ngovernments to clean up and prevent PFAS contamination. Previously, he convened\na hearing in December examining Department of Defense failures to protect\nservicemembers, military families and Michigan communities from PFAS exposure.\nPeters bill to help protect firefighters and emergency responders from PFAS\nexposure in the line of duty also passed the Senate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, Peters released a report by the Government\nAccountability Office (GAO) that shows the federal government needs to take\nfurther action to clean up and prevent contamination from PFAS and helped pass\nthe Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which invests in clean drinking water and\nincludes dedicated funding to address PFAS contamination. He supported or led\nprovisions in the 2019 national defense bill banning the Department of Defense\nfrom purchasing firefighting foams containing PFAS. The bill also immediately\nprohibited the use of firefighting foams containing PFAS in military training\nexercises, and enhanced state cooperation with the Department of Defense\nregarding clean-up due to PFAS contamination stemming from military-related\nactivities. He authored and enacted into law in 2018 a provision allowing\nairports to discontinue the use of firefighting foams with PFAS. In September\n2018, Peters helped convene the first hearing on PFAS contamination in the\nSenate, assessing the federal response to contamination and remediation. He\nthen convened a field summit in Grand Rapids in November 2018 to shine a light\non how the local, state and federal governments are coordinating their response\nto PFAS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below are statements in support of Peters\u2019 bipartisan\nlegislation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, our fire\ndepartment utilizes an input-based testing system,\u201d said Chad Newton, CEO,\nWayne County Airport Authority. \u201cIt is portable, which means we can test\nmultiple trucks, saving money and reducing the environmental impact. If the\nsystem was funded at 100-percent federal share, as Senator Peters is\nconsidering in his legislation, that would help airports throughout Michigan\nand the country. We all want to ensure we have the best firefighting equipment,\nat the same time preventing harmful chemicals from reaching our water systems.\nThis proposed bill would also help the smaller departments that cannot afford\nthis technology.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToxic PFAS contamination is a major threat in communities\nacross Michigan, and this legislation will help reduce exposure to PFAS at\ncommercial airports, one of the key sources of contamination,\u201d said Bentley\nJohnson, Federal Government Affairs Director for the Michigan League of\nConservation Voters. \u201cWe commend Sen. Peters and sponsors of this legislation\nfor taking proactive steps to protect our health and begin to start tackling\nthis water contamination crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCherry Capital Airport applauds Senator Peters\u2019 bipartisan\nefforts to secure funding for input-based testing equipment for Aircraft Rescue\nand Fire Fighting vehicles. This equipment allows airports to meet their\nregulatory vehicle testing requirements without discharging firefighting foam\ncontaining PFAS. This step in a road of many brings the Federal Aviation\nAdministration (FAA) closer to the goal of eliminating PFAS chemicals from\nimpacting our soil and water,\u201d said Kevin Klein, CEO of the Northwest Regional\nAirport Authority and Director of the Cherry Capital Airport. \u201cCherry Capital\nAirport looks forward to the day that the FAA accepts and implements a new\nfirefighting foam that will protect the flying public.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMAAE supports this bill which will allow airports to\nacquire input-based testing equipment through the AIP, so they can perform\nrequired ARFF vehicle testing without introducing AFFF into the environment,\u201d\nsaid Miles Weaver, President of the Michigan Association of Airport Executives\nand Airport Operations Manager at Battle Creek Executive Airport at Kellogg\nField. \u201cMAAE appreciates Senator Peters\u2019 leadership to assist airports not only\nin Michigan but nationwide in addressing this aspect of the PFAS issue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEnvironmental stewardship is a top priority for airport\nexecutives, and AAAE appreciates this bipartisan effort to enhance the federal\ngovernment\u2019s support for airports to safely test aqueous film forming foam\n(AFFF),\u201d said American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) President &\nCEO Todd Hauptli. \u201cWhile airports eagerly await federal approval of PFAS-free\nfoam and significant long-term federal support to transition from FAA-mandated\nAFFF, this legislation is a positive step forward that merits support.  We are grateful to Senator Peters and his\ncolleagues for continued leadership on this important issue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe appreciate Senators Peters and Moran working together to\nhelp airports acquire additional firefighting foam testing carts. The 2018 FAA\nreauthorization law directed the FAA to certify a fluorine-free alternative\nfirefighting foam for airports to use, and we look forward to that work\nconcluding in a timely manner and to the establishment of a national transition\nplan for fluorine-free foams,\u201d said Annie Russo, Chief Political and Congressional\nStrategy Officer at Airports Council International \u2013 North America. \u201cIn the\nmeantime, airports welcome this assistance in getting new carts to capture\nfirefighting foam discharged during FAA-mandated certification tests.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is crucial that airports have the resources necessary to\nextinguish fires safely and minimize the environmental impact of fighting these\nfires. The IAFC thanks Senator Peters for introducing this legislation, which\nwill greatly assist airports in meeting both needs,\u201d said Chief Kenneth\nStuebing, President and Board Chair of the International Association of Fire\nChiefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFire fighters dedicate their lives to protecting others.\nWhile saving others and making their communities better places to live, these\nbrave men and women continue to experience exposures to toxic PFAS-laden\nfirefighting foams subjecting them to higher risks of cancer and other serious\nhealth effects,\u201d said Edward A. Kelly, General President of the International\nAssociation of Fire Fighters. \u201cThis is unacceptable. The IAFF supports Senators\nPeters\u2019 legislation providing for foam containment devices to be installed on\naircraft firefighting vehicles, and on behalf of our 326,000 members, I commend\nhim for his continuous efforts to help protect fire fighters and the\ncommunities they serve from unnecessary PFAS exposure.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe applaud Senator Peters for finding creative\nsolutions to limit the use of PFAS containing fire-fighting foam at airports\nhere in the Great Lakes region through more affordable access to emergency\ntesting equipment,\u201d said Jennifer Hill, Associate Director of the Great Lakes\nRegional Center of National Wildlife Federation. \u201cThe use of AFFF here in\nMichigan has resulted in PFAS contamination consumption advisories for deer,\nfish, and wildlife, both in local communities and the Great Lakes. PFAS\ncontamination is impacting the water resources, fish and wildlife we value as\nMichiganders \u2013 and has real consequences for the Great Lakes outdoor economy if\nwe don\u2019t work together, alongside impacted communities, to address its\nsources.\u201d \n\n\n\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) today announced bipartisan legislation he authored to reduce the spread of toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination at commercial airports has passed the U.S. Senate unanimously. The Preventing PFAS Runoff at Airports Act would deploy more existing Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funding for commercial airports to purchase devices necessary […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[115],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-national-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23389"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23389\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23391,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23389\/revisions\/23391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}