Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt said Tuesday that removing hazardous chemicals from contaminated water supplies is a “national priority,” even as he sought to downplay his agency’s role in burying a critical study on the dangers of these chemicals.

“It’s clear this issue is a national priority we need to focus on as a country,” Pruitt said at the opening of a two-day summit meeting Tuesday morning with state, local, tribal, industry, and nonprofit officials at EPA headquarters.

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