“The problem here is that we’re putting the cart before the horse a little bit … before we have the results back from investigations that are going on into what is the safest way to treat it,” she said.
This session, the Rhode Island General Assembly missed opportunities to make progress on a wide range of environmental issues. CLF and other environmental organizations pushed for action on the climate crisis, toxic chemicals, and plastics pollution, but no substantial new laws were enacted. It was not a total loss, however, as we were successful in preventing passage of some harmful measures.
“PFAS chemicals are poisonous to humans and have no place in our water,” said Meredith Hatfield, Senior Attorney at CLF. “With the federal government dodging its responsibility on this critical issue, real action on the state level is the only way to combat this crisis. These rules are an important first step to protect the drinking water for New Hampshire families.”
“It is really important for people to understand that this is not just isolated to Bennington,” said Jen Duggan, director of Conservation Law Foundation Vermont. “This has the potential to impact a large portion of the state.
“Toxic PFAS chemicals are threatening drinking water and public health across New Hampshire,” said Tom Irwin, Vice President and Director of CLF New Hampshire. “The new standards proposed today are a significant step in the right direction for protecting our communities, but more needs to be done. We must address the cumulative impacts of these four PFAS, and the state needs to regulate the thousands of other known PFAS created by the chemical industry.”
“Toxic PFAS chemicals are threatening drinking water and public health across New Hampshire,” Tom Irwin, director of the Conservation Law Foundation in New Hampshire.
“DuPont and 3M have knowingly poisoned our water for decades while reaping billions in profits,” said Jen Duggan, Vice President and Director of CLF Vermont. “These companies have no right to pollute our drinking water and our bodies. Attorney General Donovan recognizes the need to hold the responsible parties accountable for putting these toxic forever chemicals into our water and our health at risk.”
This legislative session was full of historic victories for the people of Vermont. Our legislature passed three of the strongest pollution protection laws in the country, setting the standard for New England and the rest of the country.
Jen Duggan, director of Conservation Law Foundation Vermont, said that the state Agency of Natural Resources has taken a “leadership role” both in terms of identifying and remediating PFAS contamination. She pointed out that Vermont will be testing for 18 different types of PFAS compounds, compared to Michigan, which will only be looking at two of the most toxic compounds in its testing.
“Families should not have to worry if their water contains toxic chemicals when they turn on the tap,” said Tom Irwin, Vice President and Director of CLF New Hampshire. “Polluters have threatened our health and our environment with these harmful substances, and they must be held accountable. The Attorney General’s lawsuit is a huge first step in protecting our drinking water and natural resources from dangerous PFAS contamination.”
