Shea-Porter Statement on Pease Inclusion in Nationwide Health Impact Study on PFC Contamination

 WASHINGTON, DC— Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01) today released the following statement after learning from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry that Pease will be the pilot site for the first ever nationwide health study on PFC contamination. Shea-Porter authorized and funded the study in the House, and worked to ensure its inclusion in the final FY2018 National Defense Authorization Act and FY2018 government funding bill.

“This is the right decision. Our Seacoast communities deserve answers about how this contamination is impacting their health. The Pease community has led the charge to create this study, and has developed a forum for community engagement that will serve the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry well in this difficult endeavor. I am pleased that this year’s National Defense Authorization Act will include my provision to accelerate the development of replacement fire fighting foam that does not contain these dangerous chemicals.”

BACKGROUND

 Shea-Porter included a provision in the FY2019 NDAA, which passed the House Armed Services Committee last night, that will lessen the use of PFC-based fire fighting foam, which is still in use across the country and is the main source of PFC contamination at Pease.

The final FY2018 National Defense Authorization Act included Shea-Porter’s amendment to authorize the health impact study.

She led the fight in the House of Representatives to get funding for the study, successfully including an amendment in the FY2018 Defense Appropriations bill and leading a bipartisan House letter to appropriators urging them to fund the study.

In February, she sent a letter to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, requesting that Pease be included in the study.