On August 18, 2026, Larry Zaragoza, former Associate Branch Chief for the Superfund Community Involvement and Program Initiatives Branch within EPA’s Office of Land and Emergency Management, testified at an EPA listening session on draft guidance for reducing risks from PFOA and PFOS in biosolids. He argued that the guidance shifts responsibility for PFAS contamination onto farmers and consumers rather than establishing enforceable protections. Zaragoza highlighted evidence that contaminated biosolids can spread PFAS to crops, livestock, drinking water, and other environmental receptors, and pointed to industrial pretreatment as an effective measure for reducing PFOS in biosolids. He emphasized that EPA was ready to finalize its own 2025 assessment of the risks posed by land-application of PFAS-contaminated biosolids, but that instead of completing that work, the draft guidance makes unsupported claims that the assessment is so flawed it cannot be finalized or used to regulate PFAS in biosolids. EPN urges EPA to rescind the guidance and pursue risk-based limits and upstream pollution controls to prevent PFAS contamination.
Virtual Testimony on Draft Guidance for Reducing Risk from PFOA and PFOS in Biosolids
