[Editor’s Note: Last week we carried a Bucks County Courier Times story announcing that the EPA was planning a day-long community meeting on July 25 regarding chemical compounds that have polluted drinking water supplies near former military bases. Following is more information on that meeting provided by the EPA]
released the full agenda for the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) community
engagement in Horsham, Pennsylvania at Hatboro-Horsham High School, 899 Horsham
Road, Horsham, Pennsylvania.
Following the historic National Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C. in May and the
inaugural Community Engagement event in New Hampshire, this event allows EPA to hear
directly from Pennsylvania communities, Mid-Atlantic states, local, and tribal partners on how
to best help states and communities facing this issue.
“The input that EPA receives on July 25 will help us develop a plan for managing
PFAS,” said EPA Regional Administrator Cosmo Servidio. “The upcoming community
engagement event will enable us to hear from citizens and communities directly about
their experiences with these chemicals in their community.”
The July 25 Community Engagement event will include a Working Session from 10:00 a.m.
to 2:45 p.m. and a Listening Session from 3:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Both sessions are open to the public and the press. Online registration is now closed.
Those who were unable to register online will be able to register or sign up to speak in person
at the event. Registration is not required to attend or speak.
Additional details will be posted on the PFAS Community Engagement website at:
https://www.epa.gov/pfas/pfas-community-engagement-horsham-pa . Please check back at the
website leading up to the event. Citizens are also encouraged to submit written statements to
the public docket at https://www.regulations.gov/ enter docket number: OW-2018-0270.
Background
PFAS is a group of man-made chemicals that have been widely used in everyday products
since the 1940s. But PFAS compounds also can enter the environment, raising concerns
about the potential environmental and health risks.
Addressing PFAS is a national priority. At the National Leadership Summit in Washington,
D.C. in May, EPA announced a four-step action plan:
1. EPA will initiate steps to evaluate the need for a maximum contaminant level (MCL) for
PFOA and PFOS. We will convene our federal partners and examine everything we know
about PFOA and PFOS in drinking water.
2. EPA is beginning the necessary steps to propose designating PFOA and PFOS as
“hazardous substances” through one of the available statutory mechanisms, including
potentially CERCLA Section 102.
3. EPA is currently developing groundwater cleanup recommendations for PFOA and PFOS
at contaminated sites and will complete this task by fall of this year.
4. EPA is taking action in close collaboration with our federal and state partners to develop
toxicity values for GenX and PFBS by this summer.
EPA conducted a similar engagement with communities impacted by PFAS in New Hampshire
last month, and will be headed to Colorado and North Carolina in the coming weeks. These
community engagement events are critical to understand ways the Agency can best support
the work that’s being done at the state, local, and tribal levels. Using information from the
National Leadership Summit, community engagements, and public input provided by the
docket, EPA plans to develop a PFAS Management Plan for release later this year.
To learn more about PFAS, please visit: www.epa.gov/pfas
