The state senate has passed a bill that would require the Department of Environmental Services to re-evaluate its standards for perfluorochemicals, a water contaminant.
Perfluorochemicals, or PFCs are industrial chemicals used in non-stick pans and other consumer products.
Right now, when DES tests for PFCs in drinking water, they use a standard established by the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
Some lawmakers have questioned that threshold, noting that at least two other states have set their own, stricter standards for PFCs.
This bill, which passed over the objections of DES, would require the agency to re-evaluate its standard for the chemicals on an annual basis. Advocates say this is a way to protect the environment and public health.
Dan Innis is a Republican State Senator from Newcastle.
“I think it’s a powerful statement that the quality of our environment in New Hampshire is critically important to us. Not just because we live here and we drink the water and we breathe the air. But because the environment is a big part of our economy, it’s a big part of our image and it’s a part of who we are.”
The bill passed with bipartisan support.
