HOUSE . . . . . . . No. 4256
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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, December 19, 2019.
The committee on Ways and Means, to whom was referred the Bill establishing an interagency PFAS task force (House, No. 3851), reports recommending that the same ought to pass with an amendment substituting therefor the accompanying bill (House, No. 4256).
For the committee,
AARON MICHLEWITZ.
FILED ON: 12/19/2019
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 4256
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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)
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An Act establishing an interagency PFAS task force.
Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is to address the emerging crisis of PFAS contamination, therefore it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public health.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
There shall be an interagency task force to review and investigate water and ground contamination of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances across the commonwealth. The task force shall consist of 19 members: 2 members who shall be appointed by the senate president, 1 of whom shall serve as co-chair; 1 member who shall be appointed by the minority leader of the senate; 2 members who shall be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives, 1 of whom shall serve as co-chair; 1 member who shall be appointed by the minority leader of the house of representatives; the attorney general or their designee; the secretary of the executive office of energy and environmental affairs or their designee; the secretary of the executive office of public safety and security or their designee; the commissioner of the department of environmental protection or their designee; the commissioner of the department of public health or their designee; the commissioner of the department of agricultural resources or their designee; the director of the Massachusetts emergency management agency or their designee; the fire marshal of the department of fire services or their designee; the executive director of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, Inc. or their designee; the executive director of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority or their designee; the executive director of the Massachusetts Water Works Association, Inc. or their designee; and 2 people to be appointed by the governor, 1 of whom shall be a scientist with expertise in per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance-contaminated water and 1 of whom shall be a physician trained in environmental medicine.
The task force shall: (i) gather and review information regarding known locations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances detection and create response plan strategies; (ii) identify significant data gaps in the knowledge of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and develop recommendations to address the gaps; (iii) identify opportunities for public education regarding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances contamination and the effects of its exposure on public health and the environment; (iv) identify the sources of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances contamination and exposure pathways that pose the greatest risk to public health and the environment; (v) examine the benefits and burdens of various treatment and disposal options for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances contaminated media; (vi) assess how state agencies can most effectively use their existing authority and resources to reduce or eliminate priority risks from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances contamination; (vii) determine the inventory and use of fluorinated aqueous forming form in firefighting and fire training activities and evaluate effective non-fluorinated alternatives; (viii) examine data regarding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances contamination in freshwater fish and marine organisms and determine whether further examination is warranted; and (ix) examine and estimate the cost to mitigate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances contamination in known locations across the commonwealth.
The task force shall file a report of its findings and recommendations, together with drafts of legislation necessary to carry those recommendations into effect, by filing the same with the clerks of the senate and the house of representatives, the chairs of the senate and house committees on ways and means, the senate and house chairs of the joint committee on environment, natural resources and agriculture, the senate and house chairs of the joint committee on public health, the senate and house chairs of the joint committee on the judiciary and the senate and house chairs of the joint committee on public safety and homeland security not later than December 31, 2020.