Legislative Watch: GenX Findings Spread While Legislators Talk
Now the notorious toxic chemical GenX is turning up in rain samples—but the NC General Assembly still can’t get its act together to do anything productive about the problem.
Test results made public last week, some by UNC Wilmington researchers and more by the NC Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), found GenX in rainfall samples as far away from the Chemours plant as Wilmington. One of the DEQ samples from nearby the plant found a concentration of 4.5 times the state’s drinking water health goal.
Test results were discussed last week at a meeting of the House Select Committee on River Quality. At that meeting, some members expressed dissatisfaction with the Senate’s previous refusal to adopt a House bill which would have provided a down payment for DEQ’s efforts to deal with GenX and other emerging water pollutants.
The General Assembly as a body has adjourned until May, without taking any action to provide those resources. NCLCV Director of Governmental Relations Dan Crawford slammed that inaction, saying, “On Wednesday, the House Select Committee on River Quality spent the bulk of its meeting talking about none other than GenX. And, that’s all that continues to happen: all talk, no action. That’s because Senate President Phil Berger shut his Chamber’s door on even considering potential solutions presented by the House last month to ensure safer drinking water for North Carolina residents.”
The GenX saga continues to provide a case study in legislative dysfunction in the face of acknowledged environmental health needs.
