EPA put in writing its intentions to enforce “forever chemicals” cleanups at Superfund sites, signaling the Trump administration won’t entirely ditch the historic Biden-era rule.
According to EPA’s congressional justification for its fiscal 2026 budget proposal, the agency will use the revenue collected from industry taxes to “initiate new remedial work at National Priority List (NPL) sites to address contaminants including lead and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).”
It appears to be the first time the Trump administration has officially marked its intent to use its enforcement powers for PFAS remediation under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, aka the Superfund law.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has repeatedly stated his support for “polluter pays” principles and cleaning up areas highly contaminated with PFAS, a family of thousands of compounds famed for their chemically strong bond that makes them resistant to water and adhesiveness but, in turn, doesn’t naturally degrade in the environment and persists in bodies causing serious health effects such as cancer.
