New Jersey 2024-2025 Regular Session

New Jersey Senate Bill S1043 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	SENATE, No. 1043 STATE OF NEW JERSEY 221st LEGISLATURE PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
2	2
3	3	SENATE, No. 1043
4	4
5	5
6	6
7	7	STATE OF NEW JERSEY
8	8
9	9	221st LEGISLATURE
10	10
11	11
12	12
13	13	PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
14	14
15	15
16	16
17	17	Sponsored by: Senator LINDA R. GREENSTEIN District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex) Senator BOB SMITH District 17 (Middlesex and Somerset) SYNOPSIS Requires DEP to perform certain assessments concerning regulation of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
18	18
19	19
20	20
21	21	Sponsored by:
22	22
23	23	Senator LINDA R. GREENSTEIN
24	24
25	25	District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
26	26
27	27	Senator BOB SMITH
28	28
29	29	District 17 (Middlesex and Somerset)
30	30
31	31
32	32
33	33
34	34
35	35
36	36
37	37
38	38
39	39	SYNOPSIS
40	40
41	41	Requires DEP to perform certain assessments concerning regulation of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
42	42
43	43
44	44
45	45	CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
46	46
47	47	Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
48	48
49	49
50	50
51	51	An Act concerning perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances and supplementing P.L.1977, c.224 (C.58:12A-1 et seq.). Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey: 1. a. The Department of Environmental Protection shall conduct an annual assessment of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances that are unregulated at the time of the assessment, in order to determine whether a maximum contaminant level or other drinking water standard should be established for one or more such PFASs. b. The Department of Environmental Protection shall conduct an assessment of whether current and proposed maximum contaminant levels for PFASs adequately protect the health of children, given their lower average body weight, as compared to a maximum contaminant level based on the average adult body weight. c. The depart may consult or collaborate with the Drinking Water Quality Institute established pursuant to section 10 of P.L.1983, c.443 (C.58:12A-20) in order to implement the provisions of this section. d. The department shall submit a written report containing the findings of each assessment conducted pursuant to this section to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature. The department shall also publish each report on its Internet website. e. As used in this section, "perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substance" or "PFAS" means any member of the class of fluorinated organic chemicals containing at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom. 2. This act shall take effect immediately. STATEMENT This bill would require the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to conduct assessments on the regulation of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water. Specifically, the bill would require the DEP to conduct an annual assessment of PFASs that are unregulated at the time of the assessment, in order to determine whether a maximum contaminant level or other drinking water standard should be established for additional PFASs. The bill would also require the DEP to conduct an assessment of whether current and proposed maximum contaminant levels for PFASs adequately protect the health of children, given their lower average body weight, as compared to a maximum contaminant level based on the average adult body weight. The bill would require the DEP to provide a written report containing the findings of each assessment to the Governor and the Legislature, and to post the report on its website. PFAS are man-made chemical compounds that have multiple fluorine atoms bonded to a chain of carbon atoms. Since the 1930s, PFAS have been widely used in countless consumer products because they repel oil, water, and grease. The carbon-fluorine bond that forms PFAS is one of the strongest chemical bonds found in nature and does not break down under typical environmental conditions. As a result, the presence of PFAS in the environment is widespread. There are over 12,000 different types of PFAS, and new types are continually being developed and used in commerce. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) were first developed in the 1940's and are the two most commonly found PFAS in the environment and are also the two most studied and regulated PFAS. In 2018, the DEP adopted amendments to its Safe Drinking Water Act regulations to establish drinking water standards for another common PFAS, perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), at a maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 13 parts per trillion. In 2020, the DEP adopted additional drinking water standards for PFOA at a MCL of 14 parts per trillion and for PFOS at a MCL of 13 parts per trillion.
52	52
53	53	An Act concerning perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances and supplementing P.L.1977, c.224 (C.58:12A-1 et seq.).
54	54
55	55
56	56
57	57	Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
58	58
59	59
60	60
61	61	1. a. The Department of Environmental Protection shall conduct an annual assessment of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances that are unregulated at the time of the assessment, in order to determine whether a maximum contaminant level or other drinking water standard should be established for one or more such PFASs.
62	62
63	63	b. The Department of Environmental Protection shall conduct an assessment of whether current and proposed maximum contaminant levels for PFASs adequately protect the health of children, given their lower average body weight, as compared to a maximum contaminant level based on the average adult body weight.
64	64
65	65	c. The depart may consult or collaborate with the Drinking Water Quality Institute established pursuant to section 10 of P.L.1983, c.443 (C.58:12A-20) in order to implement the provisions of this section.
66	66
67	67	d. The department shall submit a written report containing the findings of each assessment conducted pursuant to this section to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature. The department shall also publish each report on its Internet website.
68	68
69	69	e. As used in this section, "perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substance" or "PFAS" means any member of the class of fluorinated organic chemicals containing at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom.
70	70
71	71
72	72
73	73	2. This act shall take effect immediately.
74	74
75	75
76	76
77	77
78	78
79	79	STATEMENT
80	80
81	81
82	82
83	83	This bill would require the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to conduct assessments on the regulation of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water.
84	84
85	85	Specifically, the bill would require the DEP to conduct an annual assessment of PFASs that are unregulated at the time of the assessment, in order to determine whether a maximum contaminant level or other drinking water standard should be established for additional PFASs. The bill would also require the DEP to conduct an assessment of whether current and proposed maximum contaminant levels for PFASs adequately protect the health of children, given their lower average body weight, as compared to a maximum contaminant level based on the average adult body weight. The bill would require the DEP to provide a written report containing the findings of each assessment to the Governor and the Legislature, and to post the report on its website.
86	86
87	87	PFAS are man-made chemical compounds that have multiple fluorine atoms bonded to a chain of carbon atoms. Since the 1930s, PFAS have been widely used in countless consumer products because they repel oil, water, and grease. The carbon-fluorine bond that forms PFAS is one of the strongest chemical bonds found in nature and does not break down under typical environmental conditions. As a result, the presence of PFAS in the environment is widespread. There are over 12,000 different types of PFAS, and new types are continually being developed and used in commerce.
88	88
89	89	Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) were first developed in the 1940's and are the two most commonly found PFAS in the environment and are also the two most studied and regulated PFAS. In 2018, the DEP adopted amendments to its Safe Drinking Water Act regulations to establish drinking water standards for another common PFAS, perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), at a maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 13 parts per trillion. In 2020, the DEP adopted additional drinking water standards for PFOA at a MCL of 14 parts per trillion and for PFOS at a MCL of 13 parts per trillion.