In September 2020, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) finalized the settlement of an enforcement action against Cannon Air Force Base (CAFB), a federal facility, relating to the facility’s discharge of PFAS-containing wastewater to groundwater without a permit. According to the allegations of an administrative compliance order (ACO) issued in January 2020, CAFB had an existing groundwater discharge permit that … Continue Reading
North Carolina Files Suit Against DuPont and Chemours Over GenX and Other PFAS Contamination
On October 13, 2020, North Carolina, acting through its Attorney General, filed suit in state court against DuPont, Chemours and related companies seeking costs to investigate, assess, remediate, restore and remedy PFAS contamination “across a broad swath of North Carolina.” The complaint alleges that the defendants contaminated the land, air, water and natural resources of North Carolina as a result … Continue Reading
Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It…: The “Innovative Ways to Destroy PFAS Challenge”
In July 2020, we posted on takeback disposal options for some PFAS-containing firefighting foams, with a caveat about recent actions taken by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC) to suspend incineration of AFFF that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) had sent to a hazardous waste facility in Cohoes, NY, pending the results of environmental sampling in … Continue Reading
State Regulation of PFAS Continues
States continue to develop standards, guidance and goals for PFAS. The ITRC has updated its table for PFAS in groundwater, drinking water and surface water/effluent to reflect the values in effect as of August 31, 2020. https://pfas-1.itrcweb.org/fact-sheets/. A graphic depicting the states that have set standards, guidance or goals is set forth below.
Source: ITRC PFAS Fact Sheets updated … Continue Reading
Update on New Hampshire PFAS Standards
In a previous post, we noted the New Hampshire Superior Court’s issuance of a preliminary injunction enjoining the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) from implementing final maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) and ambient groundwater quality (AGQS) standards for four PFAS compounds. On July 23, 2020, Governor Chris Sununu signed into law legislation that set maximum contaminant levels … Continue Reading
PFAS Weighing Heavily on Regulators in NC
Earlier this year, North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality proposed a new rule to the Environmental Management Commission’s Groundwater Committee to set the groundwater standards for PFOA and PFOS at a combined allowed level of 70 parts per trillion (or 0.07 parts per billion). Currently, there are no standards for PFOS, and the interim standard for PFOA established in 2006 … Continue Reading
Illinois Initiates PFAS Sampling Process and Releases Draft Amendments to Groundwater Standards for PFAS
In 2019, the Attorney General of Illinois joined in a letter with 22 other states in urging Congress to address the public health threat associated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This approach was no surprise, as the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) had, since 2018, determined that it was time to start assessing PFAS in the environment. See Annual … Continue Reading