CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders said Tuesday that he would enact federal drinking water standards for a group of toxic chemicals that have caused widespread contamination in New Hampshire and other states.
Sanders, a Vermont senator, said instead of spending millions on lawsuits to gut clean water rules, such companies should be paying to clean up contamination.
He said as president, he will create national clean water standards for PFAS and other chemicals in an effort to guarantee clean drinking water “as a human right.”.
“Corporate greed is threatening one of the most basic necessities of life: clean water,” he said in a statement.
“Not only will we support state efforts to enforce stronger clean water laws, we are going to create federal clean water standards that force these companies to clean up their mess.”.
More than 700 homes in New Hampshire whose drinking water was contaminated by PFAS have been connected to new water, and the state estimates that more than 100,000 other people eventually could be affected.
3M Co., based in St. Paul, Minnesota, said in a statement Tuesday that it “supports appropriate science-based regulations of PFAS” and therefore backs “consideration of an enforceable, science-based national drinking water standard” for the toxic chemicals. »
