logo
Oregon Senate votes to ban toxic ‘forever chemicals' in firefighting foam

Oregon Senate votes to ban toxic ‘forever chemicals' in firefighting foam

Yahoo05-03-2025
Firefighting foam, used at airports and military bases, has been identified as a source of toxic PFAS chemicals. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Fire Administration)
Efforts to get harmful 'forever chemicals' out of firefighting foam used in Oregon are closer to being realized.
The state Senate voted nearly unanimously Tuesday to pass Senate Bill 91 and ban perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, from firefighting foam used on the ground by firefighters. A vote in the House of Representatives has not yet been scheduled, but if passed, it would make Oregon the 16th state to essentially outlaw PFAS-laden firefighting foam.
PFAS are human-made chemical chains that do not break down or go away naturally but instead have for decades leached into rivers and streams and contaminated water supplies. Theyare thought to now be in the blood of everyone in the U.S., according to research and testing from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The chemicals have long been used in flame retardants, non-stick cookware and other products, and are known or suspected by the EPA to be harmful when consumption or exposure persists over long periods. They can lead to increased risks for cancers and birth defects, among other effects.
Under Senate Bill 91, fire departments would have until July 1, 2026 to phase out foams that contain PFAS, and find alternative ones that do not contain PFAS.
The bill is sponsored by state Sen. Janeen Sollman, D-Hillsboro, who said in a news release that fire stations in her district have already phased out their use of flame retardants that contain PFAS. Oregon was the first state to direct all airports to phase out a common PFAS-laden foam, AFFF foam, which has largely been replaced by a non-PFAS containing foam called P3, according to Karl Koenig, president of the Oregon Fire Chiefs Association.
Officials from the Oregon State Fire Marshal's Office told lawmakers they are not aware of any use of firefighting foam with PFAS among the fire departments they coordinate with and officials of the Oregon Department of Forestry told lawmakers they do not use firefighting foam containing PFAS.
Koenig, a retired fighter and paramedic, told lawmakers at a February hearing on the bill that he regrettably 'played with and used thousands of gallons of AFFF foam.' He said if the bill passes the Oregon Fire Chiefs would work with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to inventory how much of the AFFF foam and other foams containing PFAS still exist in the state and find the best way to exchange or dispose of them.
'We don't know if there's five gallons out there or 500,000 gallons out there. My gut feel is it's in the middle,' he told lawmakers.
The bill makes an exception for firefighting foams that are or could be required by a regulation of the Federal Aviation Administration or other federal law, but some federal agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Defense, are phasing them out. The U.S. Forest Service has not ended the use of firefighting foam containing PFAS.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Stablecoins inspire hope, and hype, in Hong Kong
Stablecoins inspire hope, and hype, in Hong Kong

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Stablecoins inspire hope, and hype, in Hong Kong

Stablecoin excitement has gripped Hong Kong as the city prepares to launch a licensing system for the less volatile type of cryptocurrency, but authorities warn against overplaying its future role in financial systems. The digital units have been touted as a cheaper, easier way to carry out monetary transactions -- and their popularity is soaring, with more than US$270 billion in circulation worldwide. Unlike the heady highs and lows of bitcoin, the value of most stablecoins is kept steady by being linked to an existing national currency -- mainly the dollar -- or a commodity like gold. Stablecoins are useful internationally because they enable fast, low-cost cross-border payments, handy in markets where hard currency is limited, such as Argentina and Nigeria. The tokens, bought and sold on digital exchanges, are also used as a safe way for crypto investors to station their profits, instead of converting to cash. "The size of the stablecoin market has reached a level where the cash flows have geopolitical implications," said Paul Brody, global blockchain leader at consulting firm EY. More than 99 percent of stablecoin assets are in US dollars, so for other countries "if you're not a player, you could find yourself frozen out", Brody told AFP. The US House of Representatives this month passed an act codifying stablecoin use, which Senator Bill Hagerty said will "ensure the dominance of the US dollar". Hong Kong's own stablecoin regulations come in on Friday, part of a push to position itself as an Asian crypto hub as US President Donald Trump's support for the sector fuels a global resurgence. - 'Overly idealistic' - "The opportunities are massive," said Rita Liu, whose payment company is developing a Hong Kong dollar-denominated stablecoin in a government-run trial. "There's a wave of legitimising the digital asset industry... Hong Kong is trying to be at the forefront of that wave," said Liu, chief executive of RD Technologies. Crypto trading has been banned since 2021 in mainland China, which sees it as a "bit too close to gambling", Brody said. He and others think stablecoins could prove more acceptable to Beijing, which has experimented with its own "e-yuan" central bank digital currency. Officials may first want to see how things go in the semi-autonomous territory of Hong Kong. So far, "a few dozen institutions" have expressed interest in issuing stablecoins or requested more information, Hong Kong Monetary Authority head Eddie Yue said last week. But he called for the public to "rein in the euphoria" over the new bill, as "in the initial stage, we will at most grant a handful of stablecoin issuer licences". "Some discussion on stablecoins may be overly idealistic," Yue warned, especially around their "potential to disrupt the mainstream financial system". The hype can inflate companies' stock prices, he added, a point echoed by Lily King of crypto company Cobo. "Some applications may be influenced by public relations strategies, as stablecoin-related news often drives market sentiment," she said. - Bigger problems - RD's Liu, a former senior manager at Chinese payment platform Alipay, feels that "some of it is fake hype, and some is real", fuelled by "people's hope in this industry". Stablecoins account for about seven percent of the global cryptocurrency market capitalisation, according to CoinGecko. If they eventually become "a mainstay of the plumbing" in finance, Hong Kong could enjoy something of a "first-mover advantage", said Jonas Goltermann at Capital Economics. Japan and Singapore already regulate stablecoins, while South Korea is exploring the possibility. While stablecoin issuers usually assure buyers their currency is backed up by real-world reserves, they are not risk-free, and sometimes deviate from their pegged value due to market fluctuations, tech issues or problems with the underlying assets. There is also the risk that stablecoins will become "more of a niche product" if banks work out how to make their own programmable money, Goltermann said. "It makes sense for Hong Kong to try anything -- it's kind of on a declining path, for reasons that are not to do with technology. It's mostly about the politics, and its relationship with China," he told AFP. "It's not like stablecoins are a silver bullet that can fix that. But that doesn't mean it can't help." kaf-hol/dan/lb Sign in to access your portfolio

Trump tells Sen. Chuck Grassley to ‘step up,' get rid of ‘ridiculous custom' holding up judicial appointments
Trump tells Sen. Chuck Grassley to ‘step up,' get rid of ‘ridiculous custom' holding up judicial appointments

New York Post

time2 hours ago

  • New York Post

Trump tells Sen. Chuck Grassley to ‘step up,' get rid of ‘ridiculous custom' holding up judicial appointments

President Trump urged Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Tuesday to 'step up' and end a 'ridiculous custom' that allows senators to block judicial nominees for courts in their states. 'Chuck Grassley, who I got re-elected to the US Senate when he was down, by a lot, in the Great State of Iowa, could solve the 'Blue Slip' problem we are having with respect to the appointment of Highly Qualified Judges and U.S. Attorneys, with a mere flick of the pen,' Trump wrote in a lengthy Truth Social post. The president argued that under the 'blue slip' tradition, blue state Democratic senators 'have an ironclad stoppage of Great Republican Candidates.' Advertisement 3 President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to call on Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley to allow senators to block judicial nominees for courts in their states. AP 'Put simply, the President of the United States will never be permitted to appoint the person of his choice because of an ancient, and probably Unconstitutional, 'CUSTOM,'' Trump fumed. Since at least 1917, the head of the Senate Judiciary Committee has traditionally sent blue-colored forms to the two senators representing the home state of US attorney, circuit or district court nominees selected by the president. Advertisement Under the so-called 'blue slip' tradition, which has been applied inconsistently over the years, if the senators withhold the slips or return them with a negative review of the nominee, the president's pick is not considered by committee. For example, New Jersey Democratic Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim recently withheld their 'blue slips' to block the Senate Judiciary Committee from considering Trump's onetime personal attorney, Alina Habba, for the top prosecutor spot in the Garden State. Since she hasn't been confirmed, Habba is currently serving as acting New Jersey US attorney. 'The only way to beat this Hoax is to appoint a Democrat or, a weak and ineffective Republican,' Trump argued. Advertisement 3 Trump's lengthy post mentioned Grassley could solve this problem, 'with a mere flick of the pen.' Trump Truth Social 'Therefore, I would never be able to appoint Great Judges or U.S. Attorneys in California, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Virginia, and other places, where there is, coincidentally, the highest level of crime and corruption — The places where fantastic people are most needed!' 'Senator Grassley must step up,' the president demanded, claiming that under former President Joe Biden the Senate Judiciary Committee 'openly broke' tradition 'at least two times.' Trump called on Grassley to scrap the 'blue slip' tradition 'IMMEDIATELY, and not let the Democrats laugh at him and the Republican Party for being weak and ineffective.' 3 President Trump wants Grassley to end the 'blue slip' tradition, which is the notion that if the senators withhold the slips or return them with a negative review of the nominee, the president's pick is not considered by the committee. AP Advertisement 'The Democrats have broken this ridiculous custom on us, it's time that we break it on them,' Trump reasoned. 'Chuck, I know you have the Courage to do this, DO IT!' A spokesperson for Grassley did not immediately respond to The Post's request for comment.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store