Election 2026

Independent, source-first accountability

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Issue record

Clean water and PFAS

In short

Van Orden's campaign says he secured millions for drinking water and $350 million to replace PFAS firefighting foam. Cooke's campaign backs PFAS testing, cleanup and research; Kent's and Provance's campaigns list no water position on the pages checked. On the record, Van Orden voted for a law with up to $350 million for airports nationwide, not money set aside. Three water projects he requested got funding, two at $2 million each; results are not shown.

Campaign positions

What each campaign says.

Derrick Van Orden

Says he has secured millions for western Wisconsin drinking water free of contaminants, and $350 million to move firefighting foams off PFAS.

Rebecca Cooke

Would work with regional stakeholders to “rapidly address the PFAS issue in our water — including more testing, remediation and research”, and build coalitions with farmers on run-off affecting waterways.

Rustin Provance

No position on water quality is stated. His platform does address the environment, on the long-term effects of nuclear testing, which is a different subject.

Evidence timeline

What the record shows.

  1. official action

    Derrick Van Orden: Matches stated record claim

    He voted for the 2024 FAA law allowing up to $350 million for airports nationwide to replace PFAS foam, a cap on future funding rather than money set aside.

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    Full detail

    His campaign says he has secured $350 million to transition firefighting foams away from PFAS to safer alternatives. The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 authorises “not more than $350,000,000 to carry out the PFAS replacement program”, which reimburses certificated airports for moving to approved fluorine-free firefighting foams at a 100 percent federal share. He voted Yea on House passage on July 20, 2023, which carried 351-69, and Yea on final passage on May 15, 2024, which carried 387-26. It became Public Law 118-63 the next day. Limit: The figure is an authorisation ceiling — the most that may later be appropriated — rather than money appropriated. The programme is national and applies to airports holding a part 139 certificate, not specifically to Wisconsin. He was one of 387 members voting for it. The same $350,000,000 figure appears beside PFAS language in nine other public laws, all of them enacted before he took office on January 3, 2023, and none of those can be the one he means.

  2. official action

    Derrick Van Orden: Matches stated record claim

    2024 funding tables list $2 million each for Eau Claire and Town of Campbell water projects he requested, plus $800,000 for a third; results are not shown.

    Read the full check

    Full detail

    His campaign says he has secured millions in funding to provide western Wisconsin with drinking water that is safe from contaminants. The final FY2024 Interior funding tables list the City of Eau Claire Water Treatment Project at $2,000,000 and the Town of Campbell Water Utility Project at $2,000,000, each naming Van Orden in the House requester column, alongside a third Wisconsin drinking-water project at $800,000 requested by him. His congressional office had announced the first two as requests in November 2023. Limit: The tables establish that the money was appropriated and that he was the member who requested it. They do not establish that the water is now free of contaminants: an appropriation is not a finished treatment plant, and no source here shows when either project was built or what it delivered. Community project funding is listed in the joint explanatory statement rather than in the law itself.

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Sources10 source records

How we use sources

  1. Van Orden for Congress, issueshttps://vanordenforcongress.com/issues/

    Van Orden for Congress · Reviewed Sep 22, 2026

    Captured 2026-09-22; 1,074 words. The campaign's own site, identified by its "Paid for by Van Orden for Congress" line. Note that derrickvanorden.com is a registrar parking page and is not this site.

    candidate statement

    For: Derrick Van Orden: campaign position; Derrick Van Orden: Matches stated record claim

  2. Cooke for Wisconsin, prioritieshttps://cookeforwisconsin.com/priorities/

    Cooke for Congress · Reviewed Sep 22, 2026

    Captured 2026-09-22; 2,429 words across ten subject headings, the most detailed platform on any desk so far.

    candidate statement

    For: Rebecca Cooke: campaign position

  3. 2026 Candidate for the U.S. House, Alexander Valiensi Kenthttps://www.voterdirectednetwork.com/alexanderkent

    Voter Directed Network · Reviewed Sep 22, 2026

    Captured 2026-09-22; 7,855 words. His own platform, in the form of a keynote address. Note that kentforcongress.com is a registrar parking page belonging to someone else and is not his site.

    candidate statement

    For: Alexander Valiensi Kent: campaign position

  4. Voter Directed Network, homehttps://www.voterdirectednetwork.com/

    Voter Directed Network · Reviewed Sep 22, 2026

    Captured 2026-09-22; 1,499 words. The organisation he founded, which is also the vehicle his platform proposes.

    candidate statement

    For: Alexander Valiensi Kent: campaign position

  5. Rustin Provance for Congress, projectshttps://rustinforcongress.wixsite.com/website/projects-1

    Rustin Provance for Congress · Reviewed Sep 22, 2026

    Captured 2026-09-22. His platform: policing, Social Security, the Federal Reserve, health care, nuclear testing, the Department of Education, term limits, taxation, the military, veterans and relations with native nations. The page is at /projects-1; /projects returns 404.

    candidate statement

    For: Rustin Provance: campaign position

  6. Public Law 118-63, FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/PLAW-118publ63

    U.S. Government Publishing Office · Reviewed Sep 22, 2026

    Enacted 2024-05-16. Its text reads: "There is authorized to be appropriated not more than $350,000,000 to carry out the PFAS replacement program", which reimburses airports holding a part 139 operating certificate for the transition to approved fluorine-free firefighting foams, at a federal share of 100 percent. Read from the GovInfo package text on 2026-09-22.

    official legislative record

    For: Derrick Van Orden: Matches stated record claim

  7. House roll call 364, 118th Congress, 1st session (document)

    Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives · Reviewed Sep 22, 2026

    On passage of H.R. 3935, 2023-07-20. Passed 351-69. Van Orden voted Yea.

    official legislative record

    For: Derrick Van Orden: Matches stated record claim

  8. House roll call 200, 118th Congress, 2nd session (document)

    Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives · Reviewed Sep 22, 2026

    On the motion to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to H.R. 3935, 2024-05-15. Passed 387-26. Van Orden voted Yea. This is the vote that sent the bill to the President.

    official legislative record

    For: Derrick Van Orden: Matches stated record claim

  9. FY2024 Interior joint explanatory statement, community project funding tables (document)

    U.S. House of Representatives · Reviewed Sep 22, 2026

    The final funding tables accompanying the FY2024 Interior appropriation. Read on 2026-09-22: the drinking water state revolving fund rows list "City of Eau Claire for Water Treatment Project 2,000,000 Van Orden" and "Town of Campbell for Water Utility Project 2,000,000 Van Orden", with a third Wisconsin project at 800,000 also requested by him. Community project funding is listed here rather than in the statute, which is why searching the enacted law and the Congressional Record for these projects returns nothing.

    official legislative record

    For: Derrick Van Orden: Matches stated record claim

  10. Van Orden champions clean water funding for Wisconsin's third district in FY24https://vanorden.house.gov/media/press-releases/van-orden-champions-clean-water-funding-wisconsins-third-district-fy24

    Office of Rep. Derrick Van Orden · Reviewed Sep 22, 2026

    His congressional office's own account of two community project funding items requested in the FY2024 Interior appropriations bill: $2,000,000 for PFAS filtration equipment in Eau Claire and $2,000,000 for a new water system for the Town of Campbell. A request is what this source records; it is not an appropriation.

    official office record

    For: Derrick Van Orden: Matches stated record claim