News Releases from Headquarters›Water (OW)
EPA To Hold PFAS Community Engagement in Colorado Springs
WASHINGTON — Starting on Tuesday, August 7, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold the third PFAS community engagement event in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This two-day public event allows EPA to hear directly from Colorado communities, Mountain West states, and local and tribal partners about their experiences with PFAS.
WHAT: Colorado Springs PFAS Community Engagement
WHEN: Tuesday, August 7, 2018: Listening Session
4:00 PM MST — 10:00 PM (MST)
Wednesday, August 8, 2018: Working Session
9:45 AM — 12:00 PM (MST)
WHERE: Hotel Eleganté Conference & Event Center
2886 S. Circle Dr.
Colorado Springs, CO 80906
The Colorado community engagement event will consist of two sessions — a public listening session and PFAS working session — to hear from the public; provide tools to assist states, tribes, and local communities in addressing challenges with PFAS in the environment; and understand ways EPA can best support the work that’s being done at the state, local, and tribal level.
Both days are open to the public and press. If you are interested in attending the event, please register here: https://www.epa.gov/pfas/forms/pfas-community-engagement-colorado-springs-co. Those interested in speaking should also select the option to speak while registering.
Background
PFAS is a group of man-made chemicals that have been widely used in everyday products since the 1940s. But PFAS compounds also can enter the environment, raising concerns about the potential environmental and health risks.
Addressing PFAS is a national priority. At the National Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C. in May, EPA announced the following four-step action plan:
- EPA will initiate steps to evaluate the need for a maximum contaminant level (MCL) for PFOA and PFOS. We will convene our federal partners and examine everything we know about PFOA and PFOS in drinking water.
- EPA is beginning the necessary steps to propose designating PFOA and PFOS as “hazardous substances” through one of the available statutory mechanisms, including potentially CERCLA Section 102.
- EPA is currently developing groundwater cleanup recommendations for PFOA and PFOS at contaminated sites and will complete this task by fall of this year.
- EPA is taking action in close collaboration with our federal and state partners to develop toxicity values for GenX and PFBS by this summer.
EPA has conducted similar engagements with communities impacted by PFAS in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, and will be headed to North Carolina next month. These events are critical to understand ways the Agency can best support the work that’s being done at the state, local, and tribal levels. Using information from the National Leadership Summit, community engagement events, and public input provided by the docket, EPA plans to develop a PFAS Management Plan for release later this year.
To learn more about PFAS, please visit: www.epa.gov/pfas