New PFAS Designation Expected to Spark Rise in Superfund Sites

Companies will have to pay millions of dollars to clean up more contaminated sites due to the EPA’s new Superfund PFAS rule, but site selection will take time and use predictable criteria, mandated data, and established processes, attorneys said.

The EPA issued a final rule (RIN: 2050-AH09) on April 19 designating two commonly detected and well-known per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS)—as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), or Superfund law.

Companies, federal agencies, and some local government or state facilities accountable for contaminated sites are ...