Sponsors
Introduced March 19, 2026 by Richard Joseph Durbin · Last progress March 19, 2026
The bill would significantly tighten PFAS controls—reducing public exposure, increasing transparency, and boosting research and enforcement—while shifting substantial compliance costs, enforcement liabilities, and some implementation costs onto manufacturers, users, taxpayers, and certain communities, with potential tradeoffs in regulatory speed and state flexibility.
All communities and consumers: the bill phases out many PFAS-containing consumer products, establishes 'safer-alternative' and 'essential-use' criteria, and directs research to speed substitution and reduce PFAS exposures over the next 1–10 years.
Local communities and affected residents: stronger enforcement powers, community notice/meeting requirements, and the ability for private citizens to sue increase accountability and give communities faster tools to stop and clean up contamination.
The public and regulators: mandatory annual reporting, public disclosure of manufacturer/user reports, and open access to research from Centers improve transparency about PFAS production, use, releases, and remediation options.
Manufacturers, importers, exporters, and many downstream users: much broader 'manufacturer' and 'user' coverage plus phaseout, reporting, and recordkeeping will increase compliance costs, reformulation and inventory costs, and administrative burdens—especially for small businesses.
Consumers and specialized industries: phaseouts and bans over 1–10 years may raise prices or reduce availability of performance‑critical specialty products (e.g., certain outdoor gear, oil & gas products) if viable alternatives are not available in time.
Taxpayers and federal budget oversight: the bill authorizes new federal spending (research, Centers, implementation) and creates fee funds used without further appropriation, shifting costs to regulated entities and reducing Congress’s annual appropriations oversight.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Directs EPA to fund a National Academies review to identify essential PFAS uses, prioritize phaseouts, expands enforcement (civil/criminal), and creates two Centers for PFAS research and remediation.
Requires the EPA to contract with the National Academies to review scientific evidence on which PFAS uses are truly essential and to recommend priorities for phasing out nonessential uses. It gives EPA new civil and criminal enforcement tools for violations, and it establishes two Centers of Excellence (one large research/National Lab partnership and one rural university center) to advance PFAS detection, research, and remediation. Sets definitions for key terms (manufacturer, user, safer alternative, State, PFAS), requires the Academy review to finish its initial report within three years, and creates permitting, penalty, and oversight authorities intended to push replacement of nonessential PFAS uses and support research into alternatives and cleanup technologies.