EPA Launches PFAS TECH Strategy to Develop Remediation Technologies, Following Deregulatory Actions
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced its first agency-wide PFAS Technology Evaluation, Coordination, and Harmonization (PFAS TECH) Strategy, outlining actions to accelerate research, development, and deployment of technologies for the removal and destruction of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals” due to their persistence in the environment and humans.
PFAS have come under increasing scrutiny in recent years as evidence of their health harms continues to mount, with exposure to certain compounds linked to higher cholesterol, increased risk of some cancers, developmental complications, liver damage, and immune system effects.
Although EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the new PFAS TECH Strategy exemplifies how “the Trump EPA is laser-focused on Making America Healthy Again [MAHA],” the announcement comes as the agency continues to receive criticism for the Administration’s history of decisions to back off PFAS regulation.
New PFAS TECH Strategy Focuses on Destruction and Removal Technologies
Announced October 26, 2026, the strategy outlines initiatives EPA intends to advance over the next two years, emphasizing collaboration with federal agencies, states, local governments, universities, water utilities, and the private sector.
The strategy focuses on three priorities:
- Advancing research and development: Supporting emerging PFAS treatment and destruction technologies through public-private partnerships, research funding, and laboratory and field evaluations. Technologies under investigation include foam fractionation, supercritical water oxidation, hydrothermal alkaline treatment, and novel sorbents. EPA also plans to make research funding available through its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant programs.
- Demonstrating technologies through pilot projects: Conducting pilot- and full-scale evaluations at Superfund sites, military facilities, wastewater treatment plants, and drinking water systems to assess treatment effectiveness, feasibility, and scalability under real-world conditions. EPA is already partnering with approximately 40 drinking water utilities nationwide through its Removing Emerging Contaminants through Engineering and Science Solutions (RECESS) program to evaluate treatment technologies.
- Translating research into practical applications: Developing technical guidance, providing funding and assistance to water systems, and launching the PFAS Break the Bond Navigator, a planned public-facing, searchable tool to help states and local decision-makers identify appropriate PFAS removal and destruction technologies.
The strategy also highlights ongoing EPA research, including evaluations of supercritical water oxidation that have achieved greater than 99.99 percent PFAS destruction efficiency in aqueous film-forming foam using an industrial-scale system. Additional projects are investigating PFAS remediation in contaminated soil, groundwater, biosolids, and drinking water.
To support implementation, EPA plans to leverage existing federal water infrastructure funding programs and provide technical assistance to drinking water and wastewater systems, particularly small and disadvantaged communities.
Trump EPA’s PFAS Track Record
Most notably, EPA officially rolled back Biden-era maximum limits for certain PFAS chemicals in drinking water in May. The now-weakened rule would have set the first-ever national, legally enforceable drinking water standard to reduce Americans’ exposure to six PFAS known to be harmful to human health. Trump’s EPA decided to retain only the maximum limits for PFOS and PFOA, while providing a two-year extension pathway for drinking water systems. Alongside the rollback, however, Trump’s EPA said it was working on a proposed rule for limitations and standards for PFAS discharge.
Looking for quick answers on food safety topics?
Try Ask FSM, our new smart AI search tool.
Ask FSM →
Most recently, in September, an internal memo withdrew guidance that encouraged states and wastewater utilities to use existing Clean Water Act authorities to prevent PFAS from entering waterways and drinking water systems. The Trump Administration’s EPA has also abandoned a risk assessment of PFAS contamination in sludge used as fertilizer on farmland.
On the other hand, the agency announced that it is adding PFAS to the Sixth Contaminant Candidate List (CCL 6) for drinking water. Contaminants listed on the CCL may require future regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act, but the CCL itself does not impose any requirements on public water systems. EPA uses the CCL to identify priority contaminants for regulatory decision-making and information collection.
