{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.stabenow.senate.gov/news/michigan-delegation-members-encourage-strong-epa-role-in-addressing-water-contamination-sites-in-belmont-military-installations-across-state", "Michigan Delegation Members Encourage Strong EPA Role in Addressing Water Contamination Sites in Belmont, Military Installations Across State", "2017-12-06", "2017", "2017-12", "Democrat", "House", "MI", "Debbie Stabenow", "S000770", "www.stabenow.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Michigan Delegation Members Encourage Strong EPA Role in Addressing Water Contamination Sites in Belmont, Military Installations Across State \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tWednesday, December 06, 2017\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t  \n\t\t\tU.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Gary Peters (D-MI) and Congressman Fred Upton (MI-06) today led a letter from members of the Michigan delegation encouraging a strong Environmental Protection Agency role to address water contamination across the state, including the Belmont area and several military installations.\u00a0 In addition to Stabenow, Peters, and Upton, Representatives Dan Kildee (MI-05), Dave Trott (MI-11), Debbie Dingell (MI-12), Sander Levin (MI-09), Jack Bergman (MI-01), Paul Mitchell (MI-10), Brenda Lawrence (MI-14), Tim Walberg (MI-07), Justin Amash (MI-03), Mike Bishop (MI-08), and Bill Huizenga (MI-02) signed the letter.\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u201cWe write to urge the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to continue to actively engage in assisting the State of Michigan\u2019s and the Department of Defense\u2019s efforts to address serious public health threats stemming from exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) across multiple communities in our state,\u201d wrote the lawmakers.\u00a0 \u201cAs you are aware, these substances break down very slowly in the environment and remain in the blood and organs of exposed humans and wildlife for years.\u00a0 Exposure to these chemical compounds are linked to cancer as well as thyroid, kidney, liver, and reproductive problems.\u201d\r\n\u00a0\r\nA signed copy of the letter is attached to this release and the full text may be found below.\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\nDecember 5, 2017\r\n\u00a0\r\nThe Honorable Scott Pruitt\r\nAdministrator\r\nU.S. Environmental Protection Agency\r\n1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.\r\nWashington, DC 20460\r\n\u00a0\r\nDear Administrator Pruitt:\r\n\u00a0\r\nWe write to urge the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to continue to actively engage in assisting the State of Michigan\u2019s and the Department of Defense\u2019s efforts to address serious public health threats stemming from exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) across multiple communities in our state.\u00a0 This problem is of such severity that the State of Michigan recently created a PFAS Action Response Team.\u00a0 We also believe that further engagement by the EPA on this growing problem is consistent with your stated goal of refocusing the agency on actions that directly protect public health and safety.\r\n\u00a0\r\nAs you are aware, these substances break down very slowly in the environment and remain in the blood and organs of exposed humans and wildlife for years.\u00a0 Exposure to these chemical compounds are linked to cancer as well as thyroid, kidney, liver, and reproductive problems.\u00a0 Over the past several months, a growing list of communities that span the state of Michigan are uncovering alarmingly high levels of PFOA and PFOS in soil, ground and drinking waters.\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\n \r\nTainted soil and groundwater in Western Michigan have been found to contain PFOS and PFOA concentrations as high as 37,800 parts-per-trillion (ppt), more than 500 times the EPA\u2019s health advisory level of 70 ppt.\u00a0\u00a0In addition, PFOA and PFOS have been found in raw and treated water in Ann Arbor.\u00a0\r\n \r\n\u00a0\r\n \r\nPFOA and PFOS have also been detected in waters and fish across Michigan, including in the Au Sable River, Flint River, Kalamazoo River, Muskegon River, Saginaw River, St. Joseph River, Tahquamenon River, Dead River, Thunder Bay River, Rogue River and St. Marys River; as well as in parts of Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Erie.\r\n \r\n\u00a0\r\n \r\nPFOA and PFOS from Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) used at active and decommissioned military bases have leached on and off-base.\u00a0 In Oscoda, PFOS has been identified in a lake near a legacy Air Force base at levels that reportedly exceed 100,000 ppt, as well as in private drinking wells of surrounding homes.\u00a0 These chemicals have also been discovered in and around Camp Grayling National Guard training base in Grayling and in private drinking wells near the former K.I. Sawyer Air Force base in Marquette.\r\n \r\n\u00a0\r\nThank you for your consideration of this request and for providing our offices with information on EPA\u2019s engagement on this matter to date.\r\n\u00a0\r\nWe look forward to your expedient response.\u00a0\u00a0\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n    \n\t\n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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.stabenow.senate.gov/news/michigan-delegation-members-encourage-strong-epa-role-in-addressing-water-contamination-sites-in-belmont-military-installations-across-state"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5841459389775991, "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"}