President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead EPA’s solid waste and land office appeared Wednesday to favor a Biden-era rule that puts polluters on the hook for “forever chemicals” cleanups — at least in principle.
“You mentioned the polluter-pays issue, and I support that entirely, and we will continue with that approach,” John Busterud said during his confirmation hearing in response to a question from Senate Environment and Public Works Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.).
If confirmed, Busterud would be the assistant administrator for the Office of Land and Emergency Management, the EPA branch responsible for designating PFOA and PFOS — two of the most notorious per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — as hazardous under the federal Superfund law.
That designation gives EPA the authority to hold businesses or other entities liable for cleanup costs at some of the nation’s most contaminated sites.
