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DEC says in‑state PFAS testing coming; agency administering SB67 reimbursements for AFFF disposal
Summary
Commissioner Emma Pocan told the House Resources Committee that DEC’s environmental health lab is bringing PFAS testing capacity online to support drinking‑water systems as EPA’s new PFAS maximum contaminant levels take effect; DEC is also implementing SB67 to reimburse communities for proper disposal of firefighting foam (AFFF).
Commissioner Emma Pocan told the House Resources Committee on Jan. 29 that DEC’s environmental health laboratory is bringing online PFAS testing capacity to reduce reliance on out‑of‑state labs and to support drinking‑water systems as new EPA maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for PFAS move into effect.
Pocan said the EPA rule lowering allowable PFAS concentrations in drinking water is final and described a multi‑year timetable: states have roughly two years to decide whether to take primacy (implement the standard at the state level) and systems have up to five years to come into compliance with the numeric standard. Pocan said DEC’s initial priority is to ensure timely testing so systems can understand local concentrations and plan responses.
The committee discussed known PFAS contamination at airport sites tied to aqueous film‑forming foam (AFFF). Pocan noted that AFFF use was initially mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration and that those airport sites now fall within DEC’s contaminated‑sites program where PFAS has been detected. She described the department’s approach to site characterization and delineation and said DEC will work with communities and responsible parties on cleanup and planning.
Pocan also said DEC is administering a reimbursement program established by SB 67 to help communities pay for proper collection and disposal of PFAS‑containing foam and other related wastes. She reported DEC secured a $7,000,000 cooperative grant with EPA to identify and verify contaminated sites transferred to Alaska Native corporations and to progress next steps where the federal government is the responsible party.
Representative Klum asked whether communities have applied for SB67 reimbursements; Pocan said implementation began in January and it was too early to report application counts but that DEC had targeted outreach to communities most likely to have received AFFF distributions.
Ending: Pocan said DEC would provide the committee updated information on laboratory operational dates, SB67 implementation and site‑specific outreach as those details become available.
