S-3446 : Still Just a Bill

S. 3446, titled "To require the Secretary of Defense to submit a strategy to accelerate the response efforts of the Department of Defense with respect to releases of perfluoroalkyl substances or polyfluoroalkyl substances from the activities of the Department," seeks to enhance the Department of Defense's (DoD) efforts in addressing contamination from perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

The bill mandates two key actions:

• Strategy Submission: Within 180 days of the bill becoming law, the Secretary of Defense must provide Congress with a strategy to accelerate the DoD's response to PFAS releases. This strategy will include:
  • Criteria for prioritizing cleanup actions at military installations and National Guard facilities based on the risk to human health and the environment.
  • Timelines for completing each phase of the cleanup process, as defined by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).
  • A plan to deploy additional technologies, personnel, and resources to prevent cleanup delays, including information on laboratories accredited by the DoD for PFAS testing.
  • Benchmarks to evaluate how well military departments and Defense Agencies are reducing contamination risks.
• Public Dashboard: Within one year of enactment, the Secretary must launch a publicly accessible online dashboard, updated every six months. This dashboard will provide information on the DoD's PFAS remediation efforts, including:
  • Funding that has been committed or spent, broken down by each affected military installation or National Guard facility.
  • The current status of cleanup efforts at each site under the CERCLA process, including any temporary removal actions.
  • Both projected and actual timelines for completing cleanup actions at each site.
  • Contact information for community engagement regarding these efforts.