(a) In General.—The Secretary of Defense shall establish a task force to address the effects of the release of perfluoroalkyl substances and polyfluoroalkyl substances from activities of the Department of Defense (in this section referred to as the “PFAS Task Force”).
(b) Membership.—The members of the PFAS Task Force are the following:(1) The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment.
(2) The Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy, and Environment.
(3) The Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations, and Environment.
(4) The Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment, and Energy.
(5) The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs.
(c) Chairman.—The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment shall be the chairman of the PFAS Task Force.
(d) Support.—The Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness and such other individuals as the Secretary of Defense considers appropriate shall support the activities of the PFAS Task Force.
(e) Duties.—The duties of the PFAS Task Force are the following:(1) Monitoring the health aspects of exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances and polyfluoroalkyl substances, as found by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
(2) Identifying, and funding the procurement of, an effective alternative to firefighting foam containing perfluoroalkyl substances or polyfluoroalkyl substances.
(3) Coordinating within the Department of Defense with respect to mitigating the effects of the release of perfluoroalkyl substances and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
(4) Assessing the perceptions of Congress and the public of the efforts of the Department of Defense with respect to mitigating the effects of the release of perfluoroalkyl substances and polyfluoroalkyl substances from activities of the Department.
(5) Supporting research efforts relating to perfluoroalkyl substances or polyfluoroalkyl substances.
(6) Establishing practices to ensure the timely and complete dissemination of research findings and related data relating to perfluoroalkyl substances or polyfluoroalkyl substances to the general public.
(f) Report.—Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022, and annually thereafter through 2029, the Chairman of the PFAS Task Force shall submit to Congress a report on the activities of the task force.
(g) Definitions.—In this section:(1) The term “perfluoroalkyl substance” means a man-made chemical of which all of the carbon atoms are fully fluorinated carbon atoms.
(2) The term “polyfluoroalkyl substance” means a man-made chemical containing a mix of fully fluorinated carbon atoms, partially fluorinated carbon atoms, and nonfluorinated carbon atoms.
(Added Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title III, § 341(a), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1641; amended Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title III, § 341(b), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2529; Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title III, § 331, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 221.)
Editorial Notes
References in TextThe date of the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022, referred to in subsec. (f), is the date of enactment of Pub. L. 117–81, which was approved Dec. 27, 2021.
Amendments2023—Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 118–31 substituted “and annually thereafter through 2029,” for “and quarterly thereafter,”.
2022—Subsec. (e)(5), (6). Pub. L. 117–263 added pars. (5) and (6).