Funding bill addressing PFAS water contamination advances state House

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The Pennsylvania State House advanced Monday House Bill 1410, known as the Transit Revitalization Investment District Act, which addresses PFAS drinking water contamination in the southeastern region of the state.

The bill creates the Military Installation Remediation Fund, a new municipal authority that would be funded with a portion of state tax revenue generated from the reuse of the former Willow Grove Naval Air Station and land surrounding it. The bill also would remediate water contamination caused by the military installation, encourage redevelopment of the closed station, and eliminate the local surcharges customers have been paying for clean water.

The air station conducted military training exercises using aqueous film-forming foam containing PFAS in firefighter training activities for decades. The PFAS contaminated the area’s drinking water supplies, and the cost of cleanup was passed on to water customers.

The bill was introduced by Rep. Todd Stephens (R-Montgomery) and has bipartisan support.

“I believe this is the best way to eliminate the current surcharges to ratepayers and encourage the redevelopment of the Willow Grove Naval Air Station to the benefit of our community and the Commonwealth,” Stephens said.

The bill also has the support of organizations such as Penn Environment, PennFuture, and Clean Water Action.