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Lawmakers press Health Department on PFAS and PCBs in schools; remediation funding sits with ANR
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Summary
Committee members asked Commissioner Mark Levine about testing, thresholds and remediation for PCBs and PFAS in schools. Levine said much of the remediation funding is in the Agency of Natural Resources' budget, that the Health Department plays a testing and guidance role, and that diagnostic testing timelines have been paused through 2027.
Mark Levine, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Health, told the House Healthcare Committee on Feb. 13 that environmental‑health work — including school drinking‑water testing, lead prevention and testing for PCBs and PFAS — is a department priority but that much of the remediation funding and capital work sits in the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR).
Why it matters: parents, school staff and local officials face remediation or mitigation bills when testing identifies contaminants. One committee member said Bellows Falls Union High School had a $3 million remediation estimate; Levine directed that questions about distribution of capital funds and remediation costs be addressed to ANR, while noting the health department helps set action levels and provides testing guidance.
Levine said the department has participated in statewide PCB testing of school air and PFAS testing in affected areas and described the state approach of an action‑level framework (a “school action level” versus an “immediate action level”) designed to allow mitigation while keeping schools open when feasible. He acknowledged that final human‑health thresholds are scientifically complex and said federal guidance from the Environmental Protection Agency has been in flux; he noted the state has worked to set levels it believes are protective and workable for schools.
“We're hoping that we actually went through the schools that had the highest risk,” Levine said, adding that the department cannot guarantee every high‑risk site was identified but that the goal was to prioritize the highest‑risk schools.
Committee members asked whether the department’s budget included funds for remediation; Levine replied most remediation funds are in ANR’s budget and that an earlier legislative pause on diagnostic work runs through 2027. He said the department will continue to supply technical guidance and assess risks but that capital remediation funding and distribution questions should be directed to ANR’s appropriations.
Ending: Committee members pressed for clarity on thresholds and how large remediation bills will be distributed; Levine said the department would continue to provide technical guidance and that ANR holds the primary appropriation for capital remediation work.
