Title: Federal PFAS Research Evaluation Act
Policy area: Environmental Protection

Summary:
Federal PFAS Research Evaluation Act
This bill requires various studies and reports on the exposure, hazards, and management of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as PFAS. These substances are man-made and may have adverse human health effects. A variety of products contain the compounds, such as nonstick cookware or weatherproof clothing.
Specifically, the bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to enter into an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) to conduct a two-phase study and report on the research and development needed to advance human exposure estimation and toxicity hazard estimation of individual or total PFAS.
The bill also requires the EPA to jointly enter into an agreement with NASEM to conduct a study and submit a report on the research and development needed to advance the understanding of the extent and implications of environmental contamination by PFAS, how to manage and treat such contamination, and the development of safe alternatives.
Finally, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy must submit an implementation plan for federal PFAS research, development, and demonstration activities, taking into account the recommendations of the NASEM reports.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7348 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7348

To provide for the National Academies to study and report on a Federal 
  research agenda to advance the understanding of PFAS, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 25, 2020

Mrs. Fletcher (for herself, Ms. Slotkin, and Mr. Posey) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, 
                             and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide for the National Academies to study and report on a Federal 
  research agenda to advance the understanding of PFAS, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Federal PFAS Research Evaluation 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) 
        are a group of man-made chemicals that have been used in a wide 
        range of products since the 1940s including firefighting foam, 
        carpeting, packaging, and cookware. There are more than 5,000 
        types of registered PFAS compounds. This chemical class is not 
        currently regulated at the Federal level.
            (2) PFAS have been detected in air, water, soil, food, 
        biosolids, and more. They accumulate and remain in the body for 
        a long time, and can lead to serious health effects including 
        cancer, low infant birthweight, liver and kidney issues, 
        reproductive and developmental problems, and more.
            (3) There remains much unknown about PFAS toxicity, human 
        and environmental health effects, exposure pathways, as well as 
        effective removal, treatment, and destruction methods, and safe 
        alternatives to PFAS.
            (4) There is currently no cohesive, interagency effort to 
        address PFAS, and no Federal agency is focused on a 
        multidisciplinary, cross-sector approach. Rather, there are 
        fragmented efforts at various agencies that have failed to 
        address the full scope of challenges presented by PFAS.
            (5) Regulatory action and cleanup depend on scientific 
        analysis of toxicity data, decision making on how best to deal 
        with the thousands of PFAS, and understanding the significance 
        of the many exposure pathways that exist. A consensus study by 
        the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 
        would help inform decisions by Federal and State Governments, 
        industry, and other stakeholders on how to best address PFAS.

SEC. 3. NATIONAL ACADEMIES REPORTS.

    (a) Research Assessments of PFAS Exposure and Toxicity.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Environmental 
        Protection Agency, in consultation with the Director of the 
        National Science Foundation, the Secretary of Defense, the 
        Director of the National Institutes of Health, and other 
        Federal agencies with expertise relevant to understanding PFAS 
        exposure and toxicity, shall enter into an agreement with the 
        National Academies to conduct a two-phase study and submit 
        reports in accordance with this subsection to identify research 
        and development needed to advance human exposure estimation and 
        toxicity and hazard estimation of individual or total PFAS.
            (2) Phase i study and report on human exposure 
        estimation.--
                    (A) In general.--The phase I study required to be 
                conducted under paragraph (1) shall, at a minimum--
                            (i) consider life-cycle information on the 
                        manufacture, use, and disposal of PFAS-
                        containing products to identify exposure 
                        sources and potential exposure pathways for the 
                        public;
                            (ii) evaluate the fate and transport of 
                        PFAS and their breakdown products;
                            (iii) if feasible, estimate exposure to 
                        individual or total PFAS to determine relative 
                        source contributions for various exposure 
                        pathways (such as air, water, soil, or food);
                            (iv) determine environmentally relevant 
                        PFAS; and
                            (v) identify research needed to advance 
                        exposure estimation to individual or total 
                        PFAS.
                    (B) Report.--Not later than 270 days after the date 
                on which the agreement described in paragraph (1) is 
                finalized, the National Academies shall submit to 
                Congress a report containing the findings and 
                recommendations of the study described in subparagraph 
                (A) and shall make such report available on a publicly 
                accessible website.
            (3) Phase ii study and report on pfas toxicity and hazard 
        estimation.--
                    (A) In general.--The phase II study required to be 
                conducted under paragraph (1) shall, at a minimum--
                            (i) review animal and human toxicity 
                        information on the environmentally relevant 
                        PFAS identified in the Phase I report under 
                        paragraph (2) and develop an approach for 
                        conducting a hazard assessment of these PFAS;
                            (ii) give consideration as to whether 
                        chemical category-based approaches for 
                        assessing toxicity would be appropriate for 
                        evaluating PFAS as a group; and
                            (iii) identify research needed to advance 
                        toxicity and hazard assessment of individual or 
                        total PFAS.
                    (B) Report.--Not later than 270 days after the date 
                on which the Phase I report is submitted to Congress 
                under paragraph (2), the National Academies shall 
                submit to Congress a report containing the findings and 
                recommendations of the study described in subparagraph 
                (A) and shall make such report available on a publicly 
                accessible website.
    (b) Research Assessment of Management and Treatment Alternatives 
for PFAS Contamination in the Environment.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Environmental 
        Protection Agency and the Director of the National Science 
        Foundation, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and 
        other Federal agencies with expertise relevant to the 
        development of PFAS alternatives and the management and 
        treatment of PFAS, shall jointly enter into an agreement with 
        the National Academies to conduct a study and submit a report 
        in accordance with this subsection to better understand the 
        research and development needed to advance the understanding of 
        the extent and implications of environmental contamination by 
        PFAS, how to manage and treat such contamination, and the 
        development of safe alternatives.
            (2) Scope of study.--The study described in paragraph (1) 
        shall, at a minimum, include the following:
                    (A) An assessment of the current research on such 
                issues.
                    (B) A description of the research gaps relating to 
                such issues.
                    (C) Recommendations on how the Federal Government 
                can address the research needs identified pursuant to 
                subparagraph (B).
                    (D) Recommendations on how research can best 
                incorporate considerations of socioeconomic issues into 
                the development of research proposals and the conduct 
                of research.
            (3) Report.--Not later than 540 days after the date on 
        which the agreement described in paragraph (1) is finalized, 
        the National Academies shall submit to Congress a report 
        containing the findings and recommendations of the study 
        described in paragraph (2) and shall make such report available 
        on a publicly accessible website.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section--
            (1) to the Administrator of Environmental Protection 
        Agency, $3,000,000; and
            (2) to the Director of the National Science Foundation, 
        $1,000,000.

SEC. 4. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.

    Not later than 180 days after submission to Congress of latest of 
the National Academies reports under section 3, the Director of the 
Office of Science and Technology Policy, in coordination with all 
relevant Federal agencies, shall submit to Congress an implementation 
plan for Federal PFAS research, development, and demonstration 
activities. In preparing such an implementation plan, the Director 
shall take into consideration the recommendations included in the 
reports in section 3.

SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) National academies.--The term ``National Academies'' 
        means the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and 
        Medicine.
            (2) PFAS.--The term ``PFAS'' means per- and polyfluoroalkyl 
        substances.
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