The legislative session has ended and I am excited to report that the legislature passed not one, but TWO bipartisan bills to protect our water, food, firefighters, health, and environment from harmful nonstick PFAS chemicals!
If the Governor signs the bills– one to ban PFAS chemicals in food packaging and the other to restrict PFAS-containing firefighting foam – Washington will be the first state in the nation to put restrictions on these toxic chemicals. I am so proud to live in a state that prioritizes the health of our communities and isn’t afraid to lead on these critical issues!
Achieving these victories was no small feat. The chemical makers and their allies lobbied hard to defeat these bills. But we did what we do best – present the science and relentlessly advocate for stronger protections. Backed by a strong coalition of groups and equipped with the thousands of emails and petition signatures from supporters like you, we didn’t back down and were able to win. Thank you!
Many thanks to the bills’ sponsors, Senator Kevin Van de Wege and Rep. Joan McBride, as well as Senate Majority Leader Sharon Nelson, Speaker Frank Chopp and Reps Joe Fitzgibbon and Strom Peterson for their leadership, and of course every legislator who voted YES on the bills. In fact, you can thank them yourself for their hard work to protect drinking water, food, firefighters and our health from toxic PFAS chemicals.
We still have our work cut out for us to eliminate these cancer-causing chemicals from our lives. We need to ensure that communities dealing with PFAS contamination are cleaned up, residents’ health is protected, and the chemical companies responsible for the pollution pay for the damage. The state must also continue the urgent work to establish strong drinking water standards, monitor our drinking water for these chemicals, and develop recommendations for further restrictions on PFAS chemicals.
But for now, we are going to celebrate these groundbreaking victories and await Governor Inslee’s signatures.
Thank you again to all of you who contacted your legislator, signed a petition, or donated. These victories would not be possible without your support!
Executive Director
Laurie Valeriano is Toxic-Free Future's executive director. Laurie has worked at Toxic-Free Future for over 25 years, working to advance precedent-setting state environmental health policies that protect people and the environment.
