EPA draft on PFAS and microplastics raises questions for Vermont farms

Michael Grady, legislative counsel for the Vermont Legislature, told the Senate Agriculture Committee that a new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency draft risk assessment on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in farm soils and in biosolids used as fertilizer could prompt federal rulemaking that affects farms.

“The agency of agriculture . . . has been monitoring this issue. So now EPA is basically saying that they may have to do something about it,” Grady said, describing the assessment as a preliminary step that could lead to new federal restrictions on PFAS in soil and in biosolid products.

Grady said one possible federal action would be designating PFAS as a hazardous substance. That classification, he said, would trigger other federal cleanup and liability rules and could make land that exceeds action levels subject to hazardous-site requirements — a prospect that concerns farmers and state officials.

The committee heard that biosolids and other wastewater-treatment residuals tested so far contain PFAS and that EPA’s forthcoming guidance is likely to address how those materials may be reused as fertilizer. Grady said current options for dealing with PFAS-containing biosolids — land application, landfill disposal, or incineration — are all problematic: land application risks spreading contamination, PFAS can leach from landfills, and PFAS require very high temperatures to break down by incineration.

Grady also warned about microplastics appearing in farm soils. He identified plastic mulches and other agricultural plastics as clear sources, but said some microplastic inputs are not yet well traced. “It could contaminate the soil and it could ultimately contaminate milk,” Grady said, noting that the combination of PFAS and microplastics raises food-safety and market concerns for dairy and other farm products.

Committee members asked about human-health links and regulatory timing. Grady said agencies are still evaluating health evidence and that federal action timelines depend on EPA’s internal process and the next administration’s priorities. He described EPA’s multi-year PFAS road map developed during the prior administration and said the agency’s draft soil assessment was circulated to states the morning of the committee meeting.

Because PFAS are a family of thousands of compounds, Grady said state standards that target a handful of PFAS may not capture the full risk and that Vermont officials are already working to align state standards with federal action where possible. He encouraged the committee to expect additional guidance and to follow federal rulemaking closely.

The committee did not take formal action on PFAS or microplastics during the session. Grady said he will return to the committee with more detail at a subsequent meeting.

The discussion underscores unresolved policy and technical decisions for regulators and farmers about biosolid reuse, disposal options, and monitoring strategies while federal and state agencies consider standards.