07-20-21
Contact: Sarah Abel
Phone: 202-225-5506
Reps. Kind, Kildee, Gallagher, Delgado, and Slotkin Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Provide Wisconsinites with Resources to Test Their Wells for PFAS
Test Your Well Water Act Would Create New Online Tools for Americans To Test Their Private Wells
Washington, DC —Today Rep. Ron Kind joined Reps. Dan Kildee (D-MI), Mike Gallagher (R-WI), Antonio Delgado (D-NY), and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) in introducing the Test Your Well Water Act. This bipartisan legislation would create an online tool on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) website for Americans with a private well to find resources to test their drinking water and understand what those results mean.
This tool would promote transparency, modernize and simplify access to EPA resources to help people potentially exposed to toxic PFAS chemicals. 43 million Americans get their drinking water from well water that is currently unregulated from both the federal and state government.
“PFAS contamination is a serious threat to public health, and an issue far too many communities across Wisconsin are currently dealing with,” said Rep. Ron Kind. “Making sure well owners have an easy way to test and treat their drinking water to protect against PFAS is vital, and I’m proud to introduce this commonsense legislation with colleagues on both sides of the aisle. I’ll keep working to address PFAS contamination and ensure all Wisconsinites have access to safe, clean drinking water.”
“Every living organism requires water to survive. The EPA should be a resource for all communities by setting standards for safe drinking water and enforcing them. Private citizens need to know what contaminants may be in their water, if there are safe levels of those toxic substances and how to access testing to identify them. Our nation relies on safe drinking water for residents and industry. I welcome legislation which can be a resource for residents who own private wells. As a country we must build upon the value and impact of safe drinking water, it’s an investment in the health and safety of our families now only now but for decades and centuries to come,” said Lee Donahue, Town of Campbell Health, Education and Welfare Supervisor.
Rep. Kind is a member of the Congressional PFAS Task Force. Recently, Rep. Kind fought to ensure American Rescue Plan funds could be used to address PFAS contamination and helped introduce the bipartisan PFAS Action Act, which would help protect all Americans and our environment against PFAS chemicals. Additionally, during the 116th Congress, Rep. Kind joined 58 of his colleagues in calling for robust funding in the Fiscal Year 2021 spending bill to help communities across Wisconsin address PFAS and ensure clean water. Rep. Kind is also a cosponsor of the PFAS Right to Know Act, which would add PFAS to the TRI Toxic chemicals list and would make it possible to alert communities that are exposed to PFAS so they can take protective action.
