Wilmington advocate rejects Superfund carve-outs, urges RCRA listing and source controls

Emily Donovan, cofounder of Clean Cape Fear, told the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee that residents of Wilmington and the Cape Fear region have endured decades of PFAS contamination and ongoing health harms and that Congress should not respond by weakening enforcement. "DuPont and Chemours used the Cape Fear region as a PFAS sacrifice zone for nearly half a century," Donovan said, recounting local illnesses, long-running litigation, and the community's push for federal drinking-water standards.

Donovan opposed statutory carve-outs for so-called passive receivers, arguing such exemptions would reduce incentives for responsible management and would not accelerate cleanup. She recommended designating the entire PFAS chemical class as hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) to unlock cradle-to-grave controls for PFAS waste and to require manufacturers to disclose uses and waste pathways.

Donovan also pressed for stronger federal funding for remediation and for congressional support of large-scale epidemiological research to establish health links, saying those studies would help communities hold polluters accountable. She described local capital costs for treatment upgrades, citing a $43 million estimate for Wilmington and $167 million for Brunswick County, and said residents are already paying recurring maintenance costs to treat contaminated drinking water.

Donovan's testimony drew support from some Democrats on the committee who warned that liability shields would shift burdens to taxpayers and ratepayers and could weaken enforcement of polluters. The hearing did not produce legislative action. Members may submit written questions for the record.