President Biden Signs Bill Funding DoD Including PFAS In-Situ Remediation Directive

Background

The fiscal year 2024 spending law boosts the Defense Department’s (DOD) budget for PFAS cleanups by $67.1 million and steers the department towards using in-situ remediation treatment to address the emerging chemicals, effectively rebuffing more-costly pump-and-treat methods, as DOD faces growing cleanup requirements under upcoming EPA rules. The $1.2 trillion appropriations package for FY24, which President Joe Biden signed March 23, includes about $824 billion in defense spending. This includes a $67.1 million increase for remediation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) compared to the Biden administration’s broad environmental cleanup request, with lawmakers targeting it at cleanup of PFAS-contaminated drinking water, according to the joint explanatory statement for defense appropriations Congress issued with the package of bills and report language from the appropriations committees adopted by reference into the “minibus” spending law.

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FY24 Spending Law Boosts DOD’s PFAS Cleanups, Backs In Situ Treatment