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IRule, PFAS, and Other Updates

July 8, 2019

February 2024 Update:

  • The revised Investigation and Remediation of Contaminated Properties Rule has been adopted, and went into effect on February 23, 2024. This rule supersedes all previous versions and should be applied to all site work conducted at contaminated sites moving forward.  The final adopted rule can be downloaded from: Contaminated Sites Rules, Guidance Documents & Procedures Please Note: The 2024 draft inadvertently deleted the last ten compounds from the Vermont Soil Standards table. We are currently working to correct this issue; please continue to use the 2019 soil standards for these compounds.
  • Summary of changes to the Rule can be found here:2024 Summary of IRule Changes
  • Responsiveness summary to public comments located here: Responsiveness Summary
  • Redline version of the previous Rule: Redline IRule

 

July 2019 Update:

June 2019 Update:

April 2019 Update:

  • Permanent rule changes have been proposed for the Investigation and Remediation of Contaminated Properties Rule.  The public comment period runs from April 17, 2019 through May 27, 2019.  The document can be viewed from the following link:

  • Public hearings are scheduled for May 17 and 20, 2019.  Additional information, including time and locations, is included in the cover page of the proposed rule linked above.
  • Please direct all comments to Matt Moran

January 2019 Update:

July 2018 Update:

  • The Vermont Department of Health has issued a new Health Advisory for five per or polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS).  Those substances include:  perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluoro-octane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA).  As a result of this Health Advisory and several known PFAS exposures the Agency of Natural Resources is adopting two emergency rules to regulate these substances.  The Investigation and Remediation of Contaminated Properties Rule is being amended to list these PFAS as hazardous materials and the Groundwater Protection Rule and Strategy is being amended to adopt an enforcement standard of 20 parts per trillion for these substances.  Like the standard for PFOA and PFOS, the 20 ppt enforcement standard applies to the sum of these substances (e.g. if PFOA = 3 ppt; PFOS = 10 ppt; and PFNA = 8 ppt then the sum of PFAS = 21 ppt and standard has been exceeded).  The following industries may be impacted by these proposed rulemakings:  wire coating facilities; semi-conductor manufacturing; battery manufacturing; users of firefighting foams; solid waste landfills; electroplaters; specialty and performance coatings; capacitor manufacturing; aircraft turbine manufacturing; impregnated/coated paper products; plastic injection molding; plastic extrusion; paint manufacturers; car washes; and tanneries.  In light of the known human exposures to these constituents, we are not opening a comment period to these rules but are immediately opening a pre-rulemaking public comment period for the permanent changes that will be proposed to the Investigation and Remediation of Contaminated Properties Rule and Groundwater Protection Rule and Strategy.  If you have comments, please email them to: chuck.schwer@vermont.gov.  This pre-rulemaking comment period will close on 8/17/2018.