For Immediate Release: August 26, 2022
(NATIONAL) – Today, the EPA announced that they are finally taking action to list two of the thousands of PFAS chemicals as Hazardous Substances under CERCLA, clearing the way for them to be included in Superfund clean-up standards. This is a first step towards holding polluters accountable and financially responsible for the cost of cleaning up contaminated sites. By taking this step, the following will occur:
- Industrial sites with PFOS/PFOA contamination can be prioritized by the EPA for clean-up and remediation under Superfund Law.
- Cost of clean-up will be the responsibility will be shifted to the polluter and not local communities and taxpayers.
- Hazardous substance designation will help to hold the Department of Defense accountable for decades of releases of PFOA and PFOS into the environment and surrounding communities.
This will finally help the Department of Defense manage the cleanup that is so desperately needed in Florida and at contaminated bases such as Patrick Space Force Base, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and NASA.
Fight For Zero’s grassroots team has worked on PFAS contamination in Florida since the DoD report was released in early 2018. We held numerous community meetings, conference calls, and informational webinars, did water testing to gather data, partnered on a three-year academic research study, and brought Erin Brockovich to the City of Satellite Beach. We also met with various agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Defense (DoD), ATSDR, CDC, and white house staff on PFAS contamination. Learn more about our work here www.fight4zero.org/work
By designating PFOA and PFOS as Hazardous Substances under CERCLA, our communities impacted will begin to see cleanup that is desperately needed.
Stel Bailey
