The health dangers of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—a class of several thousand chemicals with a seven-decade legacy of military, industrial, and commercial use nationwide—have risen dramatically in public consciousness over the past few years. The vast extent of PFAS contamination nationwide in drinking water supplies and throughout the environment has propelled legislators and the public to crack down on the spread of these chemicals.
Prior to the release of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ‘PFAS Strategic Roadmap: EPA’s Commitments to Action 2021–2024’ in October 2021, state governments led the efforts to mitigate PFAS pollution in drinking water, wastewater treatment effluents, and biosolids. Since then, the regulatory and legal environments have changed dramatically, exemplified by the EPA setting in motion proposed Maximum Contaminant Limits (MCLs).
In addition to the Safe Drinking Water Act, the EPA is pursuing policy action under multiple regulatory frameworks, including the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI); Clean Water Act (CWA); Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA); Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA); and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Collectively, these actions aim to better identify, document, and address PFAS releases at facilities.
Included in the presentation:
- Policy overview
- Current state PFAS policy landscape
- State policy evolution
- Federal updates
- Funding mechanism
- Regional IIJA funding distribution
- 3M settlement
- Regional opportunities
- PFAS remediation forecast by treatment technology, 2023–2030
- PFAS remediation forecast by state, 2023–2030
- Technology comparison
- Emerging treatment technologies
- Biosolids risks
- Key milestones and considerations
