EPA Press Office:

EPA News: EPA Mid-Atlantic Region schedules March 2 virtual listening session on PFAS Strategic Roadmap

PHILADELPHIA (February 16, 2023) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is holding a virtual listening session on EPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap for residents living in EPA’s Mid-Atlantic Region on Thursday, March 2 from 6-8 p.m.

This Zoom meeting will provide information about EPA’s ongoing work under the PFAS Strategic Roadmap and what it means for the mid-Atlantic region, which includes Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.  

The session will provide opportunities for communities to share feedback directly with EPA representatives about the actions described in the Roadmap. Residents interested in participating can register online at: https://pfascommunityengagement.org/register .

Background

In October 2021, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan announced the Agency’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap—laying out a whole-of-agency approach to addressing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. The Roadmap sets timelines by which EPA plans to take specific actions and commits to bolder new policies to safeguard public health, protect the environment, and hold polluters accountable. The actions described in the PFAS Roadmap each represent important and meaningful steps to safeguard communities from PFAS contamination. Cumulatively, these actions will build upon one another and lead to more enduring and protective solutions.

In November 2022, EPA released “A Year of Progress Under EPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap,” which underscores key actions taken by the agency during the first year of implementing the PFAS Roadmap. EPA continues to implement a whole-of-agency approach, advancing science, and following the law to safeguard public health, protect the environment, and hold polluters accountable. Concurrently with this one-year progress report, EPA announced that it will hold virtual community engagement events in each EPA Region in 2023, which EPA’s Mid-Atlantic Region is announcing today.

These engagements align with recommendations from the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council and EPA’s Roadmap commitment to engage directly with stakeholders. Recognizing the unique and pervasive impacts of PFAS on Tribal communities, EPA is also planning to hold a session specifically designed to hear from our Tribal partners.

More information on EPA’s efforts on PFAS is available at www.epa.gov/pfas