EPA Launches First Agency-Wide PFAS TECH Strategy in Commerce City: Three Goals to Speed Treatment and Destruction Technology
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on October 26 launched its first-ever agency-wide PFAS TECH strategy at an event in Commerce City, Colorado, where Administrator Lee Zeldin unveiled a technology-focused plan to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). EPA posted the full strategy and a dedicated PFAS TECH page on its website the same day.
The first goal is to power innovation in research and development: accelerate new PFAS treatment and destruction technologies through funding, partnerships and early-stage innovation, and test methods such as foam fractionation and supercritical water oxidation with federal partners, states, local businesses, universities and water systems. Zeldin said technology innovation is essential to accelerating efforts to address the contaminants.
The second goal is to demonstrate what is possible through pilot-scale initiatives at Superfund sites, military facilities, wastewater treatment plants and drinking water systems. Steven Cook, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Land and Emergency Management, said cleanup-site pilots will include foam fractionation for groundwater and incremental sampling.
The third goal is to translate progress into practical actions: issue user-friendly guidance, launch a tool called the Break the Bond Navigator, update technology information, and help water systems access funding and technical assistance. EPA said it intends to provide grant funding for PFAS destruction research, including through its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programs.
PFAS are a large family of manufactured chemicals often called "forever chemicals" because they break down very slowly in the environment. Jess Kramer, EPA's PFAS Lead and Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water, said public-private partnerships can reduce PFAS in drinking water and lower treatment costs, while Teresa Booeshaghi, Associate Administrator for the Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions, said the work will rest on gold-standard science.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于华盛顿的美国环境保护署总部 William Jefferson Clinton 联邦大楼。照片：Moreau1，公共领域，经维基共享资源。 / Photo: EPA headquarters, the William Jefferson Clinton Federal Building in Washington, by Moreau1, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
