BOYLE AMENDMENT PASSES THE HOUSE TO REQUIRE SEC. OF DEFENSE TO REVIEW USE OF DANGEROUS FIREFIGHTING FOAMS AT LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENTS

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Brendan F. Boyle released the following statement after the passage this evening of his amendment requiring the Secretary of Defense to review agreements between local fire departments and the Department of Defense (DOD) with respect to spills of hazardous firefighting foams:
"This is a huge step forward for our community and for all of those across the country who have suffered the effects of unsafe drinking water because of these firefighting foams. The chemicals contained in these firefighting foams have threatened the drinking water of thousands of households and businesses across the nation. I am proud to be leading this fight for safe drinking water, and I will keep working to secure every possible resource to safeguard the health of our communities."
Boyle's amendment requires the Secretary of Defense to conduct a review of agreements between local fire departments and the Department of Defense with respect to prevention and mitigation of spills of Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF). AFFF, a fire suppressant commonly utilized to extinguish liquid- and petroleum-based fires, contains dangerous PFAS chemicals and poses an urgent public health threat. PFAS chemicals are persistent, bio accumulative, and toxic, and communities across the country are combatting PFAS contamination in their air, land, and water.
Congressman Boyle is a founding member of the Congressional PFAS Task Force. He has secured more than $160 million in government funding for cleaning up, studying, and preventing future PFAS contamination.