January, 28 2019, 11:00pm EDT
Trump Failing to Protect Drinking Water by Ignoring Dangerous Chemicals PFOA and PFOS
Statement of Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director, Food & Water Watch
WASHINGTON
A report today indicated that the Trump administration is not planning to establish drinking water limits for PFOA and PFOS, two toxic chemicals that are linked to cancer and numerous other health problems. In response, Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter released the following statement:
"Sadly, it's no surprise the Trump administration is failing to protect Americans from these dangerous chemicals. They've already tried to hide the impacts of PFOA and PFOS, and they've done nothing to protect people from industry pollution. This administration prioritizes corporate profits over public safety, pure and simple.
"More than ever, we need strong federal legislation to protect drinking water. The Water Accountability, Transparency, Equity and Reliability (WATER) Act would upgrade our aging infrastructure and help keep vital water systems under local public control. But it would also provide funding to help keep drinking water safe from toxins like PFOA and PFOS, in spite of this administration's failure to act.
"It's time for state governments and Congress to step up, since it's obvious we can't rely on Andrew Wheeler and Trump's EPA to protect us from dangerous chemicals in our drinking water."
Food & Water Watch mobilizes regular people to build political power to move bold and uncompromised solutions to the most pressing food, water, and climate problems of our time. We work to protect people's health, communities, and democracy from the growing destructive power of the most powerful economic interests.
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