While in Congress, I was Chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment. We took on some of the biggest threats facing Orange County. We stood up to companies trying to drill offshore, and created the climate action framework that the Biden Administration is relying on today.
But one of my top priorities was eliminating PFAS chemicals from our water and soil. PFAS are forever chemicals — meaning they never break down. They've been used in everything from firefighting foam to non-stick dishes. But small exposure can have big consequences: PFAS has been linked to cancer, fertility problems, asthma and more.
These chemicals are a problem that hits too close.
They've been detected in the Orange County groundwater basin that supplies roughly 85% of our drinking water. In fact, a third of the 200 groundwater wells in OC were previously shut down due to PFAS.
As Chairman, I led the charge to expose the danger that PFAS chemicals posed to our families and to hold polluters accountable. That's why I was thrilled to see the Biden Administration take action this week to address this crisis.
Thanks to new regulations, utilities will now be required to remove PFAS chemicals from drinking water.
This is a promising start, but there’s much more work to be done to protect clean air, water, and soil — and to hold the worst polluters accountable. In Congress, I’ll fight nonstop for common sense environmental protections like these. Will you support me by chipping in?
