{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/peters-bipartisan-legislation-signed-into-law-to-reduce-the-spread-of-toxic-pfas-at-commercial-airports", "Peters Bipartisan Legislation Signed into Law to Reduce the Spread of Toxic PFAS at Commercial Airports", "2022-12-20", "2022", "2022-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MI", "Gary C. Peters", "P000595", "www.peters.senate.gov", "garypeters", "https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u00ad\u00ad\u2013 The President has signed into law bipartisan legislation authored by U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) to reduce the spread of toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination at commercial airports.\n\nThe Preventing PFAS Runoff at Airports Act \u2013 which recently passed the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives \u2013 will deploy more existing Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funding for commercial airports to purchase devices necessary to test their firefighting equipment without discharging toxic PFAS chemicals. This legislation will encourage commercial airports to purchase the relatively low-cost devices \u2013 also referred to as an input-based testing system \u2013 to help limit and prevent exposure to PFAS, which are known as \u201cforever chemicals\u201d because they do not naturally break down. It also directs the FAA to identify options for reimbursing airports in Michigan and elsewhere that already acquired the devices without federal funding.\n\n\u201cThis new law will make testing equipment that prevents the spread of PFAS contamination more affordable for airports which will not only protect our environment but also families, first responders, and the Great Lakes from these toxic chemicals,\u201d said Senator Peters, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. \u201cI\u2019m pleased this legislation is law because it is commonsense, fiscally responsible and will help commercial airports purchase the necessary testing equipment to reduce PFAS contamination.\u201d\n\n\u201cCommercial airports should have the necessary equipment to test their firefighting equipment in a manner that does not expose firefighters or the surrounding communities to toxic PFAS foams,\u201d said Senator Moran. \u201cThis law will help promote the health and wellness of firefighters and aviation employees at commercial airports, as well as protect the communities that surround them.\u201d\n\nThe FAA has required commercial airports nationwide to use firefighting foam that contains toxic PFAS chemicals. For years, airports were required to discharge this foam as part of routine, federally-mandated testing of their firefighting equipment. This put firefighters, the environment, and the public at risk from exposure to toxic PFAS chemicals.\n\nThe Preventing PFAS Runoff at Airports Act \u2013 which Peters introduced earlier this year with U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-KS), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) \u2013 will make more funding from the FAA\u2019s Airport Improvement Program available to commercial airports to purchase devices that avoid discharging PFAS chemicals when testing firefighting equipment. It also directs the FAA to identify options for reimbursing airports in Michigan and elsewhere that already acquired the devices without federal funding.\n\nPeters has led the charge in the Senate to address PFAS contamination. In July, Peters introduced bipartisan legislation to help advance the federal government\u2019s understanding of toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to better inform plans to effectively address PFAS contamination. As Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, he held a field hearing in East Lansing to examine federal efforts and coordination with state and local governments to clean up and prevent PFAS contamination. Following that he introduced bipartisan legislation to improve communication and coordination efforts across every level of government to ensure there is a more comprehensive approach to cleaning up existing sites and preventing future contamination. Previously, he convened a hearing last December examining Department of Defense failures to protect servicemembers, military families and Michigan communities from PFAS exposure. Peters bill to help protect firefighters and emergency responders from PFAS exposure in the line of duty also passed the Senate.\n\nLast year, Peters released a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that shows the federal government needs to take further action to clean up and prevent contamination from PFAS and helped pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which invests in clean drinking water and includes dedicated funding to address PFAS contamination. He supported or led provisions in the 2019 national defense bill banning the Department of Defense from purchasing firefighting foams containing PFAS. The bill also immediately prohibited the use of firefighting foams containing PFAS in military training exercises, and enhanced state cooperation with the Department of Defense regarding clean-up due to PFAS contamination stemming from military-related activities. He authored and enacted into law in 2018 a provision allowing airports to discontinue the use of firefighting foams with PFAS. In September 2018, Peters helped convene the first hearing on PFAS contamination in the Senate, assessing the federal response to contamination and remediation. He then convened a field summit in Grand Rapids in November 2018 to shine a light on how the local, state and federal governments are coordinating their response to PFAS.\n\nBelow are statements in support of Peters\u2019 bipartisan legislation:\n\n\u201cAt Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, our fire department utilizes an input-based testing system,\u201d said Chad Newton, CEO, Wayne County Airport Authority. \u201cIt is portable, which means we can test multiple trucks, saving money and reducing the environmental impact. If the system was funded at 100-percent federal share, as Senator Peters is considering in his legislation, that would help airports throughout Michigan and the country. We all want to ensure we have the best firefighting equipment, at the same time preventing harmful chemicals from reaching our water systems. This proposed bill would also help the smaller departments that cannot afford this technology.\u201d\n\n\u201cToxic PFAS contamination is a major threat in communities across Michigan, and this legislation will help reduce exposure to PFAS at commercial airports, one of the key sources of contamination,\u201d said Bentley Johnson, Federal Government Affairs Director for the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. \u201cWe commend Sen. Peters and sponsors of this legislation for taking proactive steps to protect our health and begin to start tackling this water contamination crisis.\u201d\n\n\u201cCherry Capital Airport applauds Senator Peters\u2019 bipartisan efforts to secure funding for input-based testing equipment for Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting vehicles. This equipment allows airports to meet their regulatory vehicle testing requirements without discharging firefighting foam containing PFAS. This step in a road of many brings the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) closer to the goal of eliminating PFAS chemicals from impacting our soil and water,\u201d said Kevin Klein, CEO of the Northwest Regional Airport Authority and Director of the Cherry Capital Airport. \u201cCherry Capital Airport looks forward to the day that the FAA accepts and implements a new firefighting foam that will protect the flying public.\u201d\n\n\u201cMAAE supports this bill which will allow airports to acquire input-based testing equipment through the AIP, so they can perform required ARFF vehicle testing without introducing AFFF into the environment,\u201d said Miles Weaver, President of the Michigan Association of Airport Executives and Airport Operations Manager at Battle Creek Executive Airport at Kellogg Field. \u201cMAAE appreciates Senator Peters\u2019 leadership to assist airports not only in Michigan but nationwide in addressing this aspect of the PFAS issue.\u201d\n\n\u201cEnvironmental stewardship is a top priority for airport executives, and AAAE appreciates this bipartisan effort to enhance the federal government\u2019s support for airports to safely test aqueous film forming foam (AFFF),\u201d said American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) President & CEO Todd Hauptli. \u201cWhile airports eagerly await federal approval of PFAS-free foam and significant long-term federal support to transition from FAA-mandated AFFF, this legislation is a positive step forward that merits support. We are grateful to Senator Peters and his colleagues for continued leadership on this important issue.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe appreciate Senators Peters and Moran working together to help airports acquire additional firefighting foam testing carts. The 2018 FAA reauthorization law directed the FAA to certify a fluorine-free alternative firefighting foam for airports to use, and we look forward to that work concluding in a timely manner and to the establishment of a national transition plan for fluorine-free foams,\u201d said Annie Russo, Chief Political and Congressional Strategy Officer at Airports Council International \u2013 North America. \u201cIn the meantime, airports welcome this assistance in getting new carts to capture firefighting foam discharged during FAA-mandated certification tests.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is crucial that airports have the resources necessary to extinguish fires safely and minimize the environmental impact of fighting these fires. The IAFC thanks Senator Peters for introducing this legislation, which will greatly assist airports in meeting both needs,\u201d said Chief Kenneth Stuebing, President and Board Chair of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.\n\n\u201cFire fighters dedicate their lives to protecting others. While saving others and making their communities better places to live, these brave men and women continue to experience exposures to toxic PFAS-laden firefighting foams subjecting them to higher risks of cancer and other serious health effects,\u201d said Edward A. Kelly, General President of the International Association of Fire Fighters. \u201cThis is unacceptable. The IAFF supports Senators Peters\u2019 legislation providing for foam containment devices to be installed on aircraft firefighting vehicles, and on behalf of our 326,000 members, I commend him for his continuous efforts to help protect fire fighters and the communities they serve from unnecessary PFAS exposure.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe applaud Senator Peters for finding creative solutions to limit the use of PFAS containing fire-fighting foam at airports here in the Great Lakes region through more affordable access to emergency testing equipment,\u201d said Jennifer Hill, Associate Director of the Great Lakes Regional Center of National Wildlife Federation. \u201cThe use of AFFF here in Michigan has resulted in PFAS contamination consumption advisories for deer, fish, and wildlife, both in local communities and the Great Lakes. PFAS contamination is impacting the water resources, fish and wildlife we value as Michiganders \u2013 and has real consequences for the Great Lakes outdoor economy if we don\u2019t work together, alongside impacted communities, to address its sources.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T03:32:05Z"]], "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://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/peters-bipartisan-legislation-signed-into-law-to-reduce-the-spread-of-toxic-pfas-at-commercial-airports"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.1493980418890715, "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"}