Dear Chair Lowey and Ranking Member Granger:
As the Committee prepares to mark up the Fiscal Year 2021 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce urges you to fully fund the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and to support investments water infrastructure projects. The Chamber remains opposed to provisions or amendments that would regulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as a class or circumvent existing regulatory authorities.
The Chamber supports $9.38 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and strongly urges you to appropriate sufficient funds to enable the agency to fully implement the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (LCSA). LCSA amended the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to modernize the way chemicals are regulated in the United States, and it requires that the TSCA program be funded through a combination of Congressional appropriations and industry fees.
The Chamber encourages the Committee to support full funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Civil Works Program authorized in the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act, as well as up to $1 million in administrative costs and $12 billion for the WIFIA loan program – to assist in mobilizing private capital for these important projects.
We believe that Congress should provide the oversight to assure a coordinated and timely government response and appropriate the funding necessary to support sound scientific research and the management, mitigation, and ongoing monitoring of specific PFAS. Accordingly, the Chamber supports the $12.9 million in additional funding for scientific and regulatory work for the EPA to assist state and local communities to address the contamination and remediation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). In addition, we oppose any provisions or amendments that would regulate PFAS as a class or otherwise circumvent existing regulatory authorities.
And finally, the Chamber also opposes legislative language blocking progress on regulatory reforms that are important to continued business investment and economic development across a range of energy and industrial activities.
The Chamber appreciates your consideration of these recommendations as you prepare to mark up the Fiscal Year 2021 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.
Sincerely,
Neil L. Bradley
cc: Members of the House Committee on Appropriations
