ORD Chief Touts Benefits Of PFAS Research But Funding Remains Uncertain

• By: AWMA
• On: 03/27/2025 14:19:54
• In: Press
• Comments: 0

By Pavithra Rajesh, Inside EPA

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'This is a big topic of conversation, and I think there will be some follow-up work in this space. What that exactly will look like, I can't say at this point,' Maureen Gwinn, EPA's acting assistant administrator for the Office of Research and Development (ORD), said during the March 11 opening session of the Air & Waste Management Association's “The Science of PFAS: Piecing Together the Puzzle” conference here.

Gwinn said she has detailed for Zeldin how federal funding and collaboration have been critical toward developing knowledge and solutions around per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination.

She said that “understanding and addressing” PFAS, as part of efforts to ensure clean air and water, is a cornerstone of Zeldin's five-pillar strategy for EPA, and she has highlighted the importance of “cooperative federalism and working in collaboration with [EPA's] partners, both in the states and in the federal government” to Zeldin.

“One of the first briefings we did for the administrator was on the cross-agency work in support of PFAS,” she added.

But she said, “What that will look like in terms of extramural funding, or even some of our [Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)] work which we've funded in the past, I don't have specific numbers or information on that,” although she indicated the review is typical for an administration in a transitionary phase. Read more.