EPA Region 5 Announces Virtual Listening Session on PFAS Strategic Roadmap

March 30, 2023

CHICAGO (March 30, 2023) – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced an April 19 virtual listening session on its PFAS Strategic Roadmap for Region 5 communities. The agency invites members of the public to attend and to speak. EPA Region 5 includes the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin and 35 Tribal Nations.

“This is an opportunity for EPA to hear directly from Region 5 communities affected by PFAS,” said EPA Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore. “We look forward to sharing the progress EPA has made on the commitments outlined in the PFAS Strategic Roadmap and hearing feedback from communities, especially those with environmental justice concerns, on actions we should take moving forward.”

Region 5’s virtual listening session will be held via Zoom from 6-8 p.m. CDT on April 19. The public can register to participate in the listening session.

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, which are a category of manufactured chemicals that can cause serious health problems including cancer if people are exposed to them over a long period of time. The Roadmap sets EPA’s timelines for specific actions, and commits to bolder new policies to safeguard public health, protect the environment, and hold polluters accountable. The actions 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 the agency’s key actions 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. EPA also announced a plan for virtual listening sessions in each EPA region.

These sessions 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 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.

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