{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://sewell.house.gov/2023/2/rep-sewell-announces-52-million-in-epa-funding-from-the-bipartisan-infrastructure-law-to-expand-access-to-clean-and-safe-drinking-water", "Rep. Sewell Announces $52+ Million in EPA Funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to Expand Access to Clean and Safe Drinking Water", "2023-02-16", "2023", "2023-02", "Democrat", "House", "AL", "Terri A. Sewell", "S001185", "sewell.house.gov", "sewell", "https://sewell.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) announced that the State of Alabama will receive $52,638,000 from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address emerging contaminants like Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Drinking Water across Alabama. This funding was made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is part of the EPA\u2019s Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities (EC-SDC) Grant Program and will promote access to safe and clean water in small, rural, and disadvantaged communities while supporting local economies.\n\n\u201cI am thrilled that the Environmental Protection Agency is providing over $52 million to Alabama communities to expand access to clean water in our rural and underserved communities,\u201d said Rep. Sewell. \u201cI am proud to be the only member of the Alabama Congressional Delegation to vote in favor of President Biden\u2019s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law because grant programs like this will make a world of difference in the lives of Alabamians. Every American deserves access to safe and clean water, and this investment is a transformative step forward.\u201d\n\nThe Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests $5 billion over five years to help communities that are on the frontlines of PFAS contamination reduce PFAS in drinking water. EPA announced the funds for Alabama as part of an allotment of $2 billion to states and territories that can be used to prioritize infrastructure and source water treatment for pollutants, like PFAS and other emerging contaminants, and to conduct water quality testing.\n\n\u201cEPA\u2019s Emerging Contaminants Grant Program is a solid community investment for the Southeast region,\u201d said EPA Region 4 Administrator Daniel Blackman. \u201cThe expansion of safe and clean water access to small, rural, and disadvantaged communities is crucial to the protection of human health and the environment.\u201d\n\nEPA is also releasing the Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities Grant Implementation document. The implementation document provides states and communities with the information necessary to use this funding to address local water quality and public health challenges. These grants will enable communities to improve local water infrastructure and reduce emerging contaminants in drinking water by implementing solutions such as installing necessary treatment solutions.\n\nToday\u2019s actions represent a significant milestone within the Biden-Harris Administration\u2019s commitments to combat PFAS pollution and safeguard drinking water, and specifically EPA\u2019s October 2021 PFAS Strategic Roadmap. Under the Roadmap, EPA is working across the agency to protect the public from the health impacts of PFAS. EPA has taken a number of actions to deliver progress on PFAS including:\n\nProposing to designate two PFAS as CERCLA hazardous substances. If finalized, this will be a critical step toward increasing transparency around releases of PFAS and holding polluters accountable for cleaning up their contamination.\n\nReleasing drinking water health advisories. Acting in accordance with EPA\u2019s mission to protect public health and keep communities and public health authorities informed when new science becomes available, the Agency issued drinking water health advisories for four PFAS.\n\nLaying the foundation to enhance data on PFAS. This included an order under EPA\u2019s National PFAS Testing Strategyrequiring companies to conduct PFAS testing, and nationwide sampling through the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule for 29 PFAS in public drinking water systems.\n\nExpanding the scientific understanding of PFAS. The Agency issued more than 30 scientific publications by EPA researchers and released EPA\u2019s PFAS Thermal Treatment Database.\n\nTranslating the latest science into EPA\u2019s cross-agency PFAS efforts. This included updating EPA\u2019s contaminated site cleanup tables, developing new PFAS methods and conducting toxicity assessments, and issuing draft national recommended water quality criteria to protect aquatic life.\n\nContinuing engagement with the public. EPA\u2019s PFAS work was informed by public webinars, stakeholder meetings, Congressional testimony, and engagement with EPA\u2019s federal advisory committees.\n\nIn addition to this new grant, EPA is also working to propose a PFAS NPDWR in the coming weeks. The draft proposed rule is currently undergoing interagency review and EPA will issue the proposed rule for public comment when it clears the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The agency anticipates finalizing the rule by the end of 2023. Together, with today\u2019s announcement, these actions highlight EPA\u2019s commitments outlined in the PFAS Strategic Roadmap to protect public health and the environment from the impacts of PFAS. They also illustrate the benefits of investing in water\u2014protecting public health and the environment, addressing key challenges facing communities, and creating jobs.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T23:18:08Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://sewell.house.gov/2023/2/rep-sewell-announces-52-million-in-epa-funding-from-the-bipartisan-infrastructure-law-to-expand-access-to-clean-and-safe-drinking-water"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9545753709971905, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}