Contact: EPA Region 10 Public Affairs Office (r10_press_team@epa.gov)

SEATTLE (February 22, 2023) – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 10 is announcing an upcoming virtual listening session on EPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap for Region 10 communities on March 15, 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 10 communities in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. The session will provide opportunities for communities to share feedback directly with EPA Regional and program leaders to inform the implementation of the actions described in the Roadmap. 

EPA Region 10’s virtual Regional community engagement session will be held via Zoom on March 15, 2023, from 6:00pm - 8:00pm Pacific Time. For more information and to register for the community engagement session on Zoom, visit: https://pfascommunityengagement.org/register/

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. The Roadmap sets timelines by which EPA plans to take specific actions and commits to new policies to safeguard public health and protect the environment. The actions described in the PFAS Roadmap represent important steps to safeguard communities from PFAS contamination.

In November 2022, EPA released “A Year of Progress Under EPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap” of key actions taken by the agency during the first year of implementing the PFAS Roadmap. Concurrently with this one-year progress report, 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 commitment to engage directly with stakeholders. Recognizing the unique and pervasive impacts of PFAS on Tribal communities, EPA is also planning to hold a session specifically designed to hear from our Tribal partners.

More information on this session and other virtual events will be available at https://pfascommunityengagement.org/register/

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