PFAS Forum: Cleanup and Upcoming Regulations: A Summary Report

Abstract

Efforts to prevent and clean up PFAS discharges have been accelerating in recent years; state and federal regulatory agencies have been instituting policies that prioritize PFAS mitigation and require accountability from facilities that use the chemical. Because of their firefighting systems, airports will be included in these new policies. In practice, however, removing PFAS foams from airports and monitoring for contamination are logistically and financially difficult. To address these challenges, a forum held on April 5, 2022, in Rochester, Minnesota, gathered environmental experts, state and federal regulatory officials, and airport managers to discuss how best to transition away from PFAS. The event was sponsored by the MnDOT Office of Aeronautics and administered by the Airport Technical Assistance Program (AirTAP) at the U of M Center for Transportation Studies, in partnership with Minnesota's Local Air Service Action Committee (LASAC).