Weber Times

Congressman Blake Moore and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree have introduced the Protect Our Clothes from PFAS Act, a bipartisan effort aimed at removing trade barriers affecting outdoor recreation companies. The legislation seeks to amend the U.S. tariff code to facilitate the sale of water-resistant apparel free from Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) chemicals.

PFAS are resilient substances associated with health risks such as cancer and thyroid issues. Despite these potential dangers, they remain prevalent in consumer products, including water-resistant clothing. The outdoor industry is striving to eliminate PFAS, but the U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule complicates this transition financially.

“The outdoor recreation industry is critical to Utah’s economy, and waterproof apparel is essential to outdoor recreationalists and workers. It makes no sense to punish companies and their consumers with an outdated tariff code that keeps PFAS chemicals in our clothing,” said Congressman Moore. “By fixing a loophole in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, this bill will help leverage U.S. trade policy for good and provide incentives for outdoor apparel companies to adopt healthier practices and safer value chains.”

Congresswoman Pingree added, “Mainers have come to know how dangerous forever chemicals can be to our health and to the environment. I’m proud that Maine’s outdoor retailers are working to phase out PFAS despite the disparity in duty rates, but we want to level the playing field for companies who are moving towards safer alternatives.”

The current tariff system favors water-resistant clothing made with PFAS by imposing a 7% duty rate compared to 27% for sustainable alternatives. The new act intends to rectify this imbalance by eliminating requirements that compel garments to contain PFAS for lower duty rates, thus promoting innovative, PFAS-free technologies while maintaining competitive pricing.

The text of this legislation can be found here.