New Energy Economy Presents Expert to Testify, Joining WildEarth Guardians, YUCCA and Physicians in PFAS Hearing
“In the Matter of proposed Amendment to the Commission’s Rules to Address Chemical Disclosure and the Use of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and in Oil and Gas Extraction, 19.15.2, 19.15.7, 19.15.14, 19.15.16 AND 19.15.25 NMAC.”
Santa Fe – On Monday, New Energy Economy filed a Notice of Intent to Present Technical Testimony, and joined WildEarth Guardians, Defend NM Water, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and YUCCA, in presenting 4,700 petition signatures to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham demanding transparency and protection regarding PFAS contamination by oil and gas companies in New Mexico.
The matter is scheduled for a hearing which begins on November 12, 2024 before the New Mexico Oil Conservation Commission (“OCC”).
In its filing, New Energy Economy noted that it will present Kristen Hansen, Ph.D., of Savanna Science Consulting, as an expert witness. The filing also included Dr. Hansen’s written testimony.
Hansen has been working on research and the investigation of PFAS since 1997.
According to Hansen’s written testimony, “Between 1972 and 2001 in 3M’s Environmental Lab, I was working on the global PFOS contamination issue … I had a central role in developing methods and collecting data to support these areas and to identify and characterize the global contamination associated with PFAS compounds…”
In providing comment in the NMED filing about her role working in 3M’s Environmental Lab on PFAS, Hansen writes:
“I was the Environmental Lab’s technical expert on PFAS methods (especially mass spectrometry, but also HPLC-MSMS, GCMS, SCF and HPS Extraction, Organic Fluorine), leading the transfer of analytical methods to outside contract labs. In addition to supporting researchers in several disciplines within 3M, my group completed method development activities and analysis for at least one academic researcher, providing all of the PFAS-specific data published in several publications.”
(A copy of Dr. Hansen’s written testimony can be found, read and downloaded at the end of this article)
The Candle will be providing additional reporting on matters under consideration at the PFAS hearing being held by the New Mexico Oil Conservation Commission next month.
Here are some official explanations of what PFAS chemicals are and the contamination dangers known to date.
What NIH Knows About PFAS
According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large, complex group of synthetic chemicals that have been used in consumer products around the world since about the 1950s. They are ingredients in various everyday products.
For example, PFAS are used to keep food from sticking to packaging or cookware, make clothes and carpets resistant to stains, and create firefighting foam that is more effective.
PFAS molecules have a chain of linked carbon and fluorine atoms. Because the carbon-fluorine bond is one of the strongest, these chemicals do not degrade easily in the environment.
The United States Environmental Protection Agnecy, EPA, notes that PFAS contamination is from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
What EPA Has Learned So Far About PFAS
- PFAS are widely used, long lasting chemicals, components of which break down very slowly over time.
- Because of their widespread use and their persistence in the environment, many PFAS are found in the blood of people and animals all over the world and are present at low levels in a variety of food products and in the environment.
- PFAS are found in water, air, fish, and soil at locations across the nation and the globe.
- Scientific studies have shown that exposure to some PFAS in the environment may be linked to harmful health effects in humans and animals.
- There are thousands of PFAS chemicals, and they are found in many different consumer, commercial, and industrial products. This makes it challenging to study and assess the potential human health and environmental risks.
- Learn more about our current understanding of PFAS.
What We Don’t Fully Understand Yet
- EPA’s researchers and partners across the country are working hard to answer critical questions about PFAS:
- How to better and more efficiently detect and measure PFAS in our air, water, soil, and fish and wildlife
- How much people are exposed to PFAS
- How harmful PFAS are to people and the environment
- How to remove PFAS from drinking water
- How to manage and dispose of PFAS
- This information will help EPA and state, local, and tribal partners make more informed decisions on how best to protect human health and the environment.
- Learn more about how we are increasing our understanding of the health risks of PFAS.
COPY OF NEW ENERGY ECONOMY’S NOTICE OF INTENT TO PRESENT TECHNICAL TESTIMONY