Congress’ long-simmering battle over whether to regulate perfluorinated chemicals under the Superfund law as part of the pending defense bill appears headed for a final showdown as Democrats and Republicans remain at odds over whether to include such legislation in the final measure, which is slated for release this week.
Defense Department (DOD) officials say the military will “adapt” to any policy EPA might issue that adopts stricter groundwater cleanup limits on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) than what DOD recently set, a concession after DOD was criticized for preempting EPA’s plan to apply more stringent screening levels if the chemicals are not comingled.
Defense Department (DOD) officials say the military will “adapt” to any policy EPA might issue that adopts stricter groundwater cleanup limits on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) than what DOD recently set, a concession after DOD was criticized for preempting EPA’s plan to apply more stringent screening levels if the chemicals are not comingled.
The Environmental Working Group said the plan “represents a crucial first step in tackling the growing PFAS contamination crisis and finally offering some relief to communities polluted by toxic PFAS.”
EPA is hoping to release a host of major deregulatory measures and other policies this year, including high-profile proposals governing perfluorinated chemicals, power plant air toxics and waste releases, stormwater requirements and more, according to the agency’s latest regulatory agenda, though many of the measures have yet to begin White House review.
Environmentalists are raising concerns that a bipartisan compromise the House Energy and Commerce Committee struck on Superfund legislation addressing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) will weaken Democrats’ push for a more aggressive measure now pending in defense authorization legislation.
The announcement on the clearinghouse coincides with the release of “Dark Waters,” a film about the attorney who uncovered DuPont’s attempts to hide PFAS contamination and its decades of scientific findings.
EPA is largely rejecting Government Accountability Office (GAO) calls to make Superfund sites less vulnerable to climate change impacts, including incorporating climate risks into its long-term strategic plan, though officials agreed to improve processes for defining sites’ boundaries and are weighing whether to reinforce existing tools and resources available to local site teams.
As EPA unveils a framework for how it plans to bolster the struggling municipal recycling sector, waste industry officials are urging the agency and other federal entities to provide more leadership and additional policies to help advance the sector, which has struggled in the face of shuttered export markets and inadequate infrastructure.
EPA officials are downplaying concerns that the Defense Department (DOD) is preempting its draft screening levels for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in groundwater used for drinking water, after DOD last month issued guidance setting Superfund levels for two of the chemicals that are less stringent than levels suggested by EPA’s draft policy.
