Van Hollen, Markey, Levin, Bowman Urge EPA to Support Funding to Address Harmful Toxins in Schools

Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Congressmen Andy Levin (Mich.-09) and Jamaal Bowman (N.Y.-16) sent a letter urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to include project funding for the testing and remediation of dangerous polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in schools and childcare facilities in its budget request for Fiscal Year 2023. According to the EPA, “PCBs have been demonstrated to cause a variety of adverse health effects,” and have been linked to cancer, immune effects, and other health harms. Despite efforts by the EPA to provide best practices on how to address PCB contamination in schools from light ballasts, paint, caulk, and other sources, insufficient funding and staff levels have impeded its ability to provide individual technical assistance or grants to communities in need. 

In August 2021, Senator Van Hollen joined Senators Markey and Representatives Levin and Bowman in introducing the Get Toxic Substances Out of Schools Act of 2021 which would remove toxic substances from school buildings across the country. Schools with large concentrations of Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and AAPI students, as well as those in high poverty areas, are contaminated with dangerous amounts of lead, asbestos, PCBs, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), among other harmful chemicals. The remediation of these toxics is an issue of environmental justice, which could affect nearly 100 Baltimore City Public School builds and hundreds more throughout Maryland that were built during the PCB construction era between 1950 and 1979. Additionally, PCB pollutants have been found in the Chesapeake Bay.

“As more and more communities reach out for sampling support, technical assistance in developing clean-up plans, and help to afford remediation, additional EPA resources could help support the important work that EPA regional offices are already doing to protect children from PCB exposure,” write the lawmakers in their letter. “We applaud the Administration’s renewed focus on toxic chemical management and remediation, and look forward to collaborating further on this important issue.”

In their letter, the lawmakers specifically ask that that EPA request sufficient funding and staffing to help provide technical assistance in all EPA regional offices regarding PCB sampling, testing, exposure, and remediation; develop new pilot programs or grant funding for direct PCB remediation projects; and support national data collection and surveying efforts in order to better document and understand PCB exposure risks for children in schools and childcare facilities.

The letter, led by Senator Markey and Congressmen Levin and Bowman, was signed in addition to Senator Van Hollen by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.).  

A copy of the letter can be found HERE and below.

 Dear Administrator Regan, 

As you prepare the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) budget request to Congress for Fiscal Year 2023, we write to encourage you to include plans for new full-time equivalent (FTE) staff and direct project funding for the testing and remediation of dangerous polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in schools and childcare facilities. According to the EPA, “PCBs have been demonstrated to cause a variety of adverse health effects,” and have been linked to cancer, immune effects, and other health harms. Around one-third of all school-aged children may be exposed to PCBs through their school environments, with more children likely being exposed through day care and other facilities.

The EPA and its regional offices have long been working to provide best practices on how to address PCB contamination in schools from light ballasts, paint, caulk, and other sources. However, insufficient funding and staff levels have impeded the EPA’s ability to provide individual technical assistance or grants to communities in need. As more and more communities reach out for sampling support, technical assistance in developing clean-up plans, and help to afford remediation, additional EPA resources could help support the important work that EPA regional offices are already doing to protect children from PCB exposure. 

We urge the EPA budget request to include sufficient funding and staffing to:

• Support new FTEs to provide technical assistance in all EPA regional offices regarding PCB sampling, testing, exposure, and remediation.
• Develop new pilot programs or grant funding for direct PCB remediation projects, including through the authority granted by Section 28 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (15 U.S.C. ? 2627), in partnership with state and local education agencies.
• Fund national data collection and surveying efforts, in order to better document and understand PCB exposure risks for children in schools and childcare facilities.

We applaud the Administration’s renewed focus on toxic chemical management and remediation, and look forward to collaborating further on this important issue. We thank you for your consideration as you prepare the budget request for Fiscal Year 2023. 

Sincerely,