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• Environmental Law Monitor, New York, PFAS

New York Publishes Sweeping New Guidance and Policies on PFAS

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The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently announced a comprehensive set of actions and resources aimed to address PFAS contamination in the state.

The DEC’s “A Decade of Progress on PFAS: Summarizing DEC’s Continued Response” contains a progress report detailing New York’s leadership regarding PFAS policy over the last 10 years, along with a list of future response actions and resources. According to DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton, New York is bolstering its efforts to “protect, educate and assist New York communities in addressing the ubiquitous threat of PFAS contamination” and that “the DEC is making PFAS removal and prevention a top priority.”

The DEC rollout includes a finalized study showing the widespread presence of PFAS across the state, along with an expanded public information hub webpage designed as a “one-stop source for PFAS data, policy updates, and public comment opportunities.”

The DEC further provided guidance for publicly owned wastewater treatment plants, outlining how the state will collect PFAS data and track upstream contamination sources. The DEC plans to make all sampling and analysis results publicly available. The proposed guidance also provides new compliance and sampling schedules for discharge permits

Regarding proposed policies, the DEC provided a draft policy that would require PFAS sampling in soil products made from biosolids – both for New York-based companies and any entity importing such products into New York – using approved, updated sampling methods. Here too, results would be publicly available.

Additionally, the DEC also proposed revisions to its policy for assisting private water supplies impacted by PFAS, outlining when the state will provide alternative water supplies and how investigations will move forward. Public comment on the DEC’s proposed policies is open until early next year.

Lefton noted the new guidance and policies are just the beginning and that “more work is underway,” including proposed regulations tied to New Yorks’s “PFAS in Apparel Law,” which prohibits the manufacture, sale, and distribution of clothing containing intentionally added PFAS. Additional draft rules are expected in Q1 2026.