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ALBANY— Congressman Paul D. Tonko announced today that researchers at the University at Albany and Health Research, Inc in Menands, New York, have been awarded federal grants totaling more than $1 million to fund research into the health and environmental impacts of exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS. Tonko has long been a leading voice on the issue of… Read more »

WASHINGTON—Congressman Paul D. Tonko was selected last night to represent the House of Representatives in negotiations with the United States Senate over the final terms of the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA shapes the funding and operations of the U.S. Department of Defense. Both the House and Senate bills include provisions related to per- and… Read more »

WASHINGTON – Congressman Paul D. Tonko slammed the Trump Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today following news that the agency will decline to set national standards for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), two perfluorinated compounds (PFAS) that have been linked to myriad health disorders including cancer. “If these reports are accurate, the Trump… Read more »

WASHINGTON – Today, the House of Representatives passed S. 3021, America’s Drinking Water Infrastructure Act, by a unanimous voice vote. Title II of S. 3021 includes nearly all H.R. 3387, the Drinking Water System Improvement Act of 2017, which Tonko shepherded through the House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously in July 2017. S. 3021 now heads to the Senate, where it is expected… Read more »

WASHINGTON – This afternoon, Energy and Commerce Environment Subcommittee Ranking Member Congressman Paul D. Tonko released a disturbing new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) showing just 43 percent of school districts nationwide tested for lead in their schools’ drinking water in 2016 and 2017, and of those that tested more than one-third (37 percent) found… Read more »