Clean Water Standards for PFAS Act of 2021
Latest action · Jun 1, 2021 Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMay 28, 2021
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Clean Water Standards for PFAS Act of 2021
This bill directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop requirements and incentives to limit the discharge of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) into certain waters of the United States. PFAS are man-made and may have adverse human health effects. A variety of products contain the compounds, such as nonstick cookware or weatherproof clothing.
Within two years, the EPA must publish water quality criteria for each measurable perfluoroalkyl substance, polyfluoroalkyl substance, and class of PFAS. The water quality criteria must determine how much of these substances can be present in water before it is likely to harm human health.
Within four years, the EPA must publish a final rule that establishes, for each priority industry category specified in the bill, effluent limitations guidelines and standards for the discharge of each measurable perfluoroalkyl substance, polyfluoroalkyl substance, and class of PFAS. Under the Clean Water Act, effluent limitations restrict the quantities, rates, and concentrations of chemical, physical, biological, and other constituents which are discharged from point sources (e.g., a discernible source such as a pipe) into navigable waters, the ocean, or other specified waters.
In addition, the EPA must award grants to owners and operators of publicly owned treatment works for implementing the effluent limitations guidelines and standards.
Cosponsors 34
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 28, 2021 to Oct 15, 2021; 30 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Alan S. Lowenthal | Original | May 28, 2021 |
| D-NH | Ann M. Kuster | Original | May 28, 2021 |
| D-NY | Antonio Delgado | Original | May 28, 2021 |
| D-CA | Barbara Lee | Original | May 28, 2021 |
| R-FL | Bill Posey | Original | May 28, 2021 |
| D-MI | Brenda L. Lawrence | Original | May 28, 2021 |
| D-PA | Brendan F. Boyle | Original | May 28, 2021 |
| R-PA | Brian K. Fitzpatrick | Original | May 28, 2021 |
| D-MI | Daniel T. Kildee | Original | May 28, 2021 |
| D-MI | Debbie Dingell | Original | May 28, 2021 |
| D-NC | Deborah K. Ross | Original | May 28, 2021 |
| D-CO | Diana DeGette | Original | May 28, 2021 |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Original | May 28, 2021 |
| D-MI | Elissa Slotkin | Original | May 28, 2021 |
| D-CA | Grace F. Napolitano | Original | May 28, 2021 |
| D-GA | Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. | Original | May 28, 2021 |
| D-NY | Jerrold Nadler | Original | May 28, 2021 |
| D-CA | Julia Brownley | Original | May 28, 2021 |
| D-PA | Madeleine Dean | Original | May 28, 2021 |
| D-WI | Mark Pocan | Original | May 28, 2021 |
| D-NJ | Mikie Sherrill | Original | May 28, 2021 |
| D-GA | Nikema Williams | Original | May 28, 2021 |
| D-OR | Peter A. DeFazio | Original | May 28, 2021 |
| D-VT | Peter Welch | Original | May 28, 2021 |
| D-MI | Rashida Tlaib | Original | May 28, 2021 |
| D-MA | Richard E. Neal | Original | May 28, 2021 |
| D-VA | Robert C. "Bobby" Scott | Original | May 28, 2021 |
| D-MA | Stephen F. Lynch | Original | May 28, 2021 |
| D-TN | Steve Cohen | Original | May 28, 2021 |
| D-AL | Terri A. Sewell | Original | May 28, 2021 |
| D-OR | Earl Blumenauer | Jun 17, 2021 | |
| D-WA | Marilyn Strickland | Jun 17, 2021 | |
| D-IL | Marie Newman | Jun 28, 2021 | |
| D-GA | Carolyn Bourdeaux | Oct 15, 2021 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Transportation and Infrastructure Committee | Referred May 28, 2021 |
| Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee | Referred Jun 1, 2021 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jun 1, 2021Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
- May 28, 2021Introduced in House
- May 28, 2021Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 167, no. 94, May 28, 2021, page H2679.
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R45998 | Contaminants of Emerging Concern Under the Clean Water Act | Report | Nov 29, 2021 |
Related bills 3
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 1907 | Clean Water Standards for PFAS Act of 2021 | Related bill | May 27, 2021 |
| S 4161 | Clean Water Standards for PFAS 2.0 Act of 2022 | Related bill | May 9, 2022 |
| HR 7696 | Clean Water Standards for PFAS 2.0 Act of 2022 | Related bill | May 11, 2022 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to develop effluent limitations guidelines and standards and water quality criteria for PFAS under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, to provide Federal grants to publicly owned treatment works to implement such guidelines and standards, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Clean Water Standards for PFAS Act of 2021
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Environmental Protection.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 28, 2021Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
