Bill
S 1504
Establishes a permanent PFAS Remediation Trust Fund to finance cleanup, treatment, and outreach for drinking water and other media, prioritizing environmental-justice communities.
Note on source materials
- The bill text provided concerns creation of a PFAS remediation trust fund in Massachusetts. Some accompanying metadata (title referring to crossbow restrictions, sponsor lists naming U.S. Senators, and duplicate/contradictory referral entries) appears inconsistent with the Massachusetts bill text. This summary is based on the bill language filed in the Massachusetts Senate (Senate Docket No. 2403 / Senate No. 1504, filed 1/17/2025) titled “An Act to protect Massachusetts public health from PFAS.” Verify procedural status on the official Massachusetts Legislature website for the most current record.
Purpose and intent
- Establish a dedicated PFAS Remediation Trust Fund and related programmatic authority to mitigate contamination from per‑ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) across Massachusetts, with priority for communities with vulnerable environmental‑justice populations. The bill seeks to fund remediation, treatment, outreach and support for affected water systems, municipalities and private well owners.
Key provisions
- Definitions: Provides statutory definitions including “PFAS,” “ambient air,” “board of health,” “commissioner” (DEP commissioner), “department” (MassDEP) and “regional system.”
- PFAS Remediation Trust Fund:
- Establishes a permanent PFAS Remediation Trust Fund (the Fund).
- The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner administers the Fund.
- Expenditures may be made without further appropriation, consistent with the section and applicable settlement/judgment terms.
- Prioritizes spending for communities with vulnerable environmental‑justice populations.
- Funds may be used for remediation and mitigation of PFAS in drinking water, groundwater, soil, sediment, surface water, wastewater, sludge, landfills, and related media.
- Funds may support treatment installations, remediation projects, connections to regional systems, and mitigation for public water systems and private wells.
- The Fund may pay reasonable administrative costs of DEP related to its operation.
- Monies credited include recoveries from claims (settlements/judgments) arising from manufacture/distribution/sale of PFAS and PFAS‑containing products; transfers; grants/donations; and interest.
- Fund balances do not revert to the General Fund and may not be overdrawn at fiscal year end; balances are excluded from consolidated net surplus calculations.
- Grants and awards:
- The Commissioner may award grants to municipalities, counties, boards of health, community water systems (transient and non‑transient), and other public entities to address PFAS impacts, including connection to regional systems and assisting private well users.
- Outreach:
- The Commissioner may expend monies for multilingual outreach and education programs.
Who would be affected
- DEP (administration/implementation)
- Municipalities and counties (especially those bearing remediation costs)
- Boards of health and regional health districts
- Public water systems (community and non‑community) and operators
- Private well owners in affected areas
- Environmental‑justice communities prioritized for assistance
- Potentially responsible parties whose settlements/judgments may fund the Trust
Procedural / timeline notes
- Bill filed in Massachusetts Senate 1/17/2025 (Senate Docket No. 2403 / S.1504) and presented by Sen. Julian Cyr with numerous co‑petitions.
- Committee referrals and actions listed in provided metadata are inconsistent (entries reference Public Health, Environmental Conservation, Finance, and hearings scheduled for 09/10/2025). Confirm current referral, hearing dates, and status on the official Massachusetts legislative docket.
Potential impacts
- Creates a dedicated funding mechanism to accelerate PFAS cleanup and treatment across media and water systems without relying solely on annual appropriations.
- Prioritizes environmental‑justice communities and private well users who often lack resources for mitigation.
- Raises possibility that recoveries from manufacturers/settlements will be directed to remediation rather than general revenue.
- Implementation will require DEP rulemaking, grant processes, and coordination with municipal water systems and local boards of health.
For the latest procedural status or full text, consult the Massachusetts Legislature’s website (Senate docket No. 2403 / Senate No. 1504).
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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