FY25 Defense Bill Advances PFAS Cleanup

On December 22, President Biden signed into law the fiscal year (FY) 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which provides $895 billion for national defense, including funding for PFAS. While the final law is stripped of most PFAS policy measures that were in earlier House or Senate versions, the FY25 NDAA continues to support the management of PFAS by setting out increased funding for firefighting foam replacement and PFAS cleanups, as well as supporting a procurement policy for the Department of Defense (DOD) to buy products that are PFAS-free. 

These provisions include authorized funding levels for DOD’s PFAS cleanups and its transition to fluorine-free firefighting foam (F3), giving the Army’s environmental restoration appropriation an additional $30 million for FY25 to pay for unfunded requirements of PFAS. Additionally, another provision authorizes an increase of $10 million to the Air Force’s environmental restoration account for unfunded requirements of PFAS, which includes the transition to F3 and other efforts to assist PFAS cleanup. 

The FY25 NDAA comes several months after DOD requested $850 million for FY25 to fund efforts addressing PFAS, including nearly $600 million to pay for the costs of changeout and disposal of AFFF as well as the purchase of F3. DOD anticipates spending more on AFFF-related work compared to previous fiscal years as the department faces a deadline to end the use of AFFF on military installations by October 1, 2025, though the department is expected to seek an additional one-year waiver next year. DOD’s increasing financial requests—and subsequent funding under the FY25 NDAA—to transition away from AFFF underscore many of the similar logistical challenges faced by ILTA members.