Natural Resource Damages & Environmental Justice
Environmental Agencies, Superfund Cleanups, and Managing Enforcement Actions
What are PFAS and Why Should We Care?
Volatile Times in Vapor Intrusion Regulation: A Legal and Technical Update
On April 28, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced "major EPA actions to combat PFAS contamination." EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said that he has "long been concerned about PFAS and the efforts to...more
“Contaminants Compass” is a monthly newsletter that provides updates, legal observations and actionable tips to navigate the evolving legal challenges of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This edition discusses how...more
Yesterday, I spoke with Sarah Mattalian, an Inside EPA reporter writing a story about the suggestion by an EPA official that EPA might require additional PFAS investigations and clean up at properties that had already been...more
What You Need to Know- •NJDEP has established interim soil remediation standards for four per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) soil contaminants, effective immediately. •The new standards require the investigation of the...more
On January 10, 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) submitted a proposed rule to the White House Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) to designate perfluorooctanoic acid (“PFOA”) and...more
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are a broad category of man-made chemicals that have been manufactured since the 1940s and have been used in a variety of products for their heat- and stain-resistance, including...more
On January 19, 2021, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) introduced several new action items to further complement its progress under the 2019 Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances ("PFAS") Action Plan....more
Contaminated groundwater plume in north Orange County placed on federal Superfund list - Orange County Register – September 1 - A five-square-mile plume of contaminated groundwater in north Orange County has been...more
Earlier this year, North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality proposed a new rule to the Environmental Management Commission’s Groundwater Committee to set the groundwater standards for PFOA and PFOS at a combined...more
Two related cases recently filed in the District of South Carolina federal court exemplify an upcoming area of potential liability related to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, commonly known as “PFAS”. ...more
A growing number of lawsuits and regulations are targeting PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and the companies manufacturing these chemicals....more
The proposal marks another instance of EPA follow-through on its 2019 PFAS Action Plan. The SDWA requires EPA to make regulatory determinations every five years based on whether chemicals in public water systems pose a...more
California sues Trump administration to block water rules - Bullet ABC News – February 20 - California sued the Trump administration on Thursday to block new rules finalized this week that would let farmers take more...more
Information about PFAS compounds in California is literally exploding, with additional contamination sites identified almost daily, while the science and legal environments surrounding these “forever chemicals” also see...more
Maine is taking several major steps in addressing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The Maine PFAS Task Force just issued its final report, which included a significant number of recommendations that are likely to...more
New Hampshire, like many northeast states, is pursuing a concerted regulatory and litigation approach to address contamination from emerging contaminants in the so-called PFAS suite of chemicals, (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl...more
Last week, Law360 reported on a hearing that occurred in the Federal District Court for Eastern Pennsylvania before Judge Gerald Pappert concerning PFAS. The hearing concerned a motion to dismiss brought by the United States...more
Despite extensive negotiation, insufficient bipartisan support was garnered to obtain inclusion of robust PFAS provisions in Congressional year-end spending legislation. Initially, there was some expectation that U.S. EPA...more
EPA is moving forward on the drinking water component of its PFAS Action Plan by requesting the Office of Management to review its proposed regulatory determinations for two types of PFAS. This is a definite step toward...more
On April 25, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) published its Interim Recommendations for Addressing Groundwater Contaminated with PFOA and PFOS (the “Interim Recommendations”) and received 373 comments...more
A new environmental issue could have a major impact on airports. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) is in the process of performing investigations at a number of federal, state, and local facilities...more
Pierce Atwood LLP offers this summary of Maine Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) standards as a convenience in evaluating PFAS and tracking Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) regulatory and Maine...more
As in previous postings, we discuss recent state regulatory initiatives aimed at addressing groundwater and drinking water contamination by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances ("PFAS"). PFAS are a group of synthetic chemicals...more
MassDEP proposed groundwater cleanup standards for PFAS significantly lower than the federal health advisory as part of its long-expected proposed revisions to Massachusetts’ regulations governing the assessment and cleanup...more