California Globe: Two Senate Bills Target Chemicals Found in Firefighting Foam

February 21, 2020

Two bills that call for the partial banning and water testing of chemicals called perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were introduced to the Senate on Tuesday.

Authored by Senators Anthony Portantino (D-La Canada Flintridge), a longtime writer of chemical pollutant bills, and Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach), SB 1056 would have the State Water Resources Control Board test drinking water, groundwater, and surface water across California for all PFAS chemical types by 2022. Monitoring for PFAS by a Board laboratory would subsequently commence.

Senator Gonzalez, his co-sponsor, added that “Safe drinking water is essential for everyone. It is crucial that we prioritize a standardized method for testing these “forever chemicals” known as PFAS that have been found in our water. I am committed to moving this issue forward.” (Read Full Text)