Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 is announcing an upcoming virtual listening session on EPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap for Region 6 communities on April 25th, 2023 and inviting members of the public to attend and to speak. This engagement session will provide information about EPA’s ongoing work under the PFAS Strategic Roadmap and what it means for Region 6. The session will provide opportunities for communities to share feedback directly with the EPA regional and program leaders to inform the implementation of the actions described in the roadmap. In November 2022, the EPA announced that the agency would hold a series of virtual regional community engagement sessions in 2023 to fulfill a key commitment outlined in the PFAS Strategic Roadmap.
EPA Region 6’s virtual regional community engagement session will be held via Zoom on April 25, 2023, from 6:00 pm-8:00 pm CST.
“Since taking this office, I have made it my goal to visit and talk with as many residents as I can about environmental issues impacting their health. I am looking forward to discussing PFAS with our communities as well,” said Regional Administrator Dr. Earthea Nance. “It remains imperative to engage and listen to communities about their struggles so we can develop strategies to address these concerns. I encourage everyone to take this opportunity to let us hear your voices on this crucial topic.”
The public can register to participate in the community engagement session using the following link.
Background
In October 2021, the 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 the 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, the 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. The 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, the EPA announced that it will hold virtual community engagement events in each EPA Region in 2023.
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, the EPA is also planning to hold a session specifically designed to hear from our Tribal partners.
More information on the EPA’s efforts on PFAS is available here.
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