The federal government is long overdue in their work to combat the PFAS contamination they created. For decades, the federal government mandated that airports use firefighting foams containing PFAS, resulting in these “forever chemicals” finding their way into folks’ drinking water. We’ve seen this in Eau Claire and the Town of Campbell, where PFAS levels are so high that families have been unable to drink from the faucets in their homes for years.

Recently, President Biden signed the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Bill (H.R. 3935) into law, which included the Pollution-Free Aviation Sites (PFAS) Act and the Save Our Airports Reporting Act. I was proud to cosponsor both of these bills in the House and fight for their inclusion in the final FAA reauthorization. The PFAS Act will establish a grant program to support airports as they replace firefighting foams containing PFAS, and the Save Our Airports Reporting Act will require regular progress reports from federal agencies as airports phase out PFAS.

This Congress, I have taken multiple actions to advance clean water efforts, including, but not limited to:

• Securing $2 million in FY24 Community Project Funding for the Town of Campbell to continue developing a safe, long-term municipal water system to combat PFAS contamination
• Securing $2 million in FY24 Community Project Funding for PFAS filtration efforts for Eau Claire
• Cosponsoring the Department of Defense PFAS Discharge Prevention Act, which would protect military personnel and American families from PFAS released from the Department of Defense facilities
• Cosponsoring the PFAS Alternatives Act, which would authorize $25 million annually for each fiscal year between 2024 and 2028 to accelerate the development of PFAS-free turnout gear for firefighters, and an additional $2 million annually to support guidance and training for firefighters
• Cosponsoring the Healthy H2O Act, which would provide direct assistance to rural communities, households, and nonprofits to test their drinking water and fund filtration technology

Clean and safe drinking water is essential for the health and overall wellbeing of our communities. I’m proud to have these two important bills signed into law, but our work on combating PFAS contamination is not over. I will continue fighting for policiesthat help folks in the Third District get the clean drinking they deserve.