Bill > H4870

This bill establishes a PFAS Remediation Trust Fund to mitigate the impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination in Massachusetts, prioritizing communities with vulnerable environmental justice populations and funding multilingual outreach and education programs. It also requires the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to amend groundwater and surface water discharge permits for industrial permittees to include monitoring, reporting, and best management practices for PFAS, and to establish effluent limitations for PFAS in groundwater discharge permits. The bill mandates regulations for phasing out the use, sale, or distribution of sludge without site-specific approval and requires a report on establishing standards for monitoring PFAS in ambient air. Furthermore, it mandates a multilingual public awareness campaign about PFAS contamination and its health impacts, prohibits the sale of food packaging with intentionally added PFAS by January 1, 2028, and bans the sale of certain "priority products" (like children's products, cookware, and textiles) with intentionally added PFAS by January 1, 2029, with provisions for unavoidable use exemptions. The bill also prohibits the use of Class B firefighting foam containing intentionally added PFAS for training, testing, or emergency response, requires notification to the DEP in case of discharge, and exempts land removed from agricultural use due to PFAS contamination from conveyance taxes. Finally, it mandates a study on the effects of PFAS on agricultural products and establishes a PFAS Public Health Trust Fund to support education, mitigation, and the development of PFAS-free alternatives.

Health and Social Services

Joint Committee on Public Health (Joint)

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4870