During a House Appropriations Committee hearing in July, Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA) spoke about a provision in the GOP's proposed Department of Interior appropriations bill which would, her words, "prevent us from addressing the risks of PFAS contaminated sewage sludge used in farming."
00:00Gentlemen, gentlelady from Pennsylvania. Ms. Dean is recognized for general comments on the bill.
00:10Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I thank the chairman and the ranking member of this committee.
00:15Unfortunately, I rise in opposition to the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
00:20Appropriations Bill of 2026. I associate myself with the remarks of my Democratic colleagues.
00:26This bill fails to deliver on lowering the costs of living for everyday Americans and
00:31confronting the existential threat that is the climate crisis. I want to take a moment to talk
00:37about how this bill harms my constituents and my home state of Pennsylvania. I was an appropriator
00:42when I was in the Pennsylvania House. It was part of what drove me to want to serve with all of you
00:47here. And my favorite constitutional amendment in the Pennsylvania Constitution, Article 1,
00:54Section 27 reads, the people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the
01:01natural, scenic, and historic aesthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania's public natural
01:07resources are the common property of all people, including generations yet to come. I took that
01:14right very, very seriously. I believe that meant we were trustees of that set of rights. And this bill
01:22is not compatible with the rights articulated for all Pennsylvanians that I aspire to. Let's talk about
01:29clean air. EPA is tasked with implementing the Clean Air Act. The bill today before us cuts EPA funding by
01:3623 percent. It also includes harmful policy riders like prohibiting the regulation of methane emissions
01:44under the Clean Air Act. Pennsylvania's Bureau of Air Quality within the Department of Environmental Protection
01:51is responsible for safeguarding the health of Pennsylvanians by achieving the goals of the Federal Clean Air Act and the
01:58Pennsylvania Air Pollution Control Act. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection relies heavily on
02:04federal investments, including funds authorized by the historic Inflation Reduction Act, including many grants that are being targeted for
02:12for elimination by this administration and by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle.
02:18Let's talk about pure water. This bill cuts funding to states through the Clean Water and Drinking Water state revolving funds by
02:26$1.7 billion. This means, for my state, a funding cut of $23 million. These funds are critical for the Pennsylvania
02:36Infrastructure Investment Authority, which is called PENVEST, which serves our communities through capital funding for drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, non-point source pollution prevention, and other related projects.
02:51Cutting these funds means higher costs for Pennsylvanians to access clean water,
02:56And this bill would prevent us from addressing the risks of PFAS-contaminated sewage sludge used in farming.
03:04This is so short-sighted. My district has been directly harmed by PFAS contamination of our groundwater,
03:11something I will talk about in connection with some of the amendments.
03:16And finally, let's talk about the preservation of the natural, scenic, and historic aesthetic values of the environment.
03:22This bill cuts funding for preservation left and right.
03:27It takes away important protections on public lands, undermining conservation efforts.
03:31This bill cuts funding for the National Park Service by $213 million.
03:36In my district, we are fortunate to be home to the wonderful Valley Forge National Historic Park.
03:43It is America's park.
03:45We are so proud of Valley Forge, not only for its historic value, but also its incredible recreational opportunities for locals and visitors alike.
03:56It is America's park.
03:57But it also delivers an estimated $45 million annually to the local economy thanks to tourism.
04:05I have to tell you in terms of the history of it.
04:07Did you know that the troops at Valley Forge on those cold December nights read Thomas Paine's 49-page pamphlet, Common Sense?
04:17It was read to them, or they read it by the campfire, to galvanize and to bolster the Army's purpose on those cold, bitter winter nights.
04:28We, too, should go back and take a look at common sense and let it galvanize and bolster our belief that we should protect the folks in our districts along the lines of this interior bill.
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