EPA Releases First Agency-Wide PFAS Technology Strategy
On October 26, 2026, EPA released its first-ever agency-wide PFAS Technology, Evaluation, Coordination, and Harmonization (PFAS TECH) strategy. The strategy aims to address PFAS contamination through technology development and collaboration with federal partners, states, local leaders, and the private sector.
“This new effort will help catapult technology innovation on PFAS while supporting practical tools, funding, and technical assistance to benefit communities addressing local PFAS challenges,” EPA said in a press release.
The strategy, which is largely a compilation of existing and planned projects, has three overarching goals:
- Powering innovation in research and development. EPA will facilitate public-private partnerships to promote analytical method development and emerging technologies to remove PFAS from drinking water. EPA offices will also coordinate on organomineral and anaerobic digestion techniques for PFAS destruction and evaluate supercritical water oxidation, a process that EPA reports destroyed more than 99.99% of PFAS in firefighting foam at industrial scale.
- Demonstrating What’s Possible through Pilot-Scale Initiatives. EPA highlights partnerships with about 40 drinking water utilities to identify optimal treatment methods. The strategy also notes potential pilot projects with the Department of War and Department of Energy on emerging destruction technologies and a future framework for managing soil containing low concentrations of PFAS.
- Translating Progress into Practical Actions. EPA plans to publicly release a searchable tool for identifying appropriate destruction and disposal methods, called the PFAS Break the Bond Navigator. The tool will be updated on a rolling basis as EPA evaluates these technologies.
The strategy indicates that new R&D funding for PFAS destruction is coming through EPA’s Science to Achieve Results (STAR) grant program and Small Business Innovation Research programs. It also points to infrastructure law money for PFAS treatment, especially for small and rural systems.
According to the strategy, National Program Offices and Regional Offices will advance these actions over the next two years. EPA encourages interested parties to get involved by contacting PFASTECH@epa.gov.
