Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced its PFAS Strategic Roadmap. PFAS are a class of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances that have been used in a wide variety of industries since the 1940s and are still in use today. PFAS have been detected in surface water, groundwater, soil, and air. The PFAS Strategic Roadmap represents EPA’s whole-of-agency approach to addressing PFAS contamination.
The Strategic Roadmap has three central goals: 1) research, 2) restrict, and 3) remediate. EPA plans to invest in research to fill gaps in knowledge regarding types of PFAS, their effects on human health and the environment, and effective interventions for contamination. EPA also intends to restrict PFAS from entering the environment by regulating production and requiring more in-depth reporting. Finally, EPA aims to broaden and increase the cleanup of PFAS contamination.
EPA is employing a whole-of-agency approach for dealing with PFAS. Many different departments and offices will be involved in the Strategic Roadmap, and it utilizes a variety of statutes to meet its goals such as the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and the Toxic Substances Control Act. EPA plans to propose new rules that cover PFAS beginning in 2022.
You can find more information and greater detail about EPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap here. Stay tuned to this blog for future information on PFAS developments at both the state and federal level.
