I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1517 
To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to provide grants to States, terri-
tories, and Indian Tribes to address contamination by perfluoroalkyl 
and polyfluoroalkyl substances on farms, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 9, 2023 
Ms. PINGREE
(for herself, Mr. GOLDEN
of Maine, and Ms. LEGER 
FERNANDEZ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Agriculture 
A BILL 
To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to provide grants 
to States, territories, and Indian Tribes to address con-
tamination by perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl sub-
stances on farms, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Relief for Farmers Hit 
with PFAS Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) AGRICULTURAL LAND.— 
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(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘agricultural 
land’’ means any land that is used, or capable 
of use without substantial modification, for pro-
duction of farm products. 
(B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘agricultural 
land’’ includes irrigation water, livestock water, 
surface water, groundwater, and agricultural in-
puts on or associated with land described in 
subparagraph (A). 
(2) COMMERCIAL FARM.—The term ‘‘commer-
cial farm’’ means a farm on which a person pro-
duces any farm product with the intent that the 
farm product be sold or otherwise disposed of to 
generate income. 
(3) ELIGIBLE GOVERNMENT.—The term ‘‘eligi-
ble government’’ means— 
(A) a State; 
(B) the District of Columbia; 
(C) a territory of the United States; and 
(D) an Indian Tribe. 
(4) FARM PRODUCT.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘farm prod-
uct’’ means any plant or animal that is useful 
to humans. 
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(i) R–(CF2)–CF(R′)R′′, where both 
the CF2 and CF moieties are saturated 
carbons, and none of the R groups can be 
hydrogen; 
(ii) R–CF2OCF2–R′, where both the 
CF2 moieties are saturated carbons, and 
none of the R groups can be hydrogen; or 
(iii) CF3C(CF3)RR′, where all the 
carbons are saturated, and none of the R 
groups can be hydrogen; or 
(B) is covered by the most recent working 
definition of PFAS issued by the Administrator 
of the Environmental Protection Agency. 
(6) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘program’’ means 
the program established under section 3(a). 
(7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Agriculture. 
(8) SEPTAGE.—The term ‘‘septage’’ means 
waste, refuse, effluent, sludge, and any other mate-
rials from septic tanks, cesspools, or any other simi-
lar facilities. 
(9) SLUDGE.—The term ‘‘sludge’’ means— 
(A) solid, semisolid, or liquid waste gen-
erated from a municipal, commercial, or indus-
trial— 
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(i) wastewater treatment plant; 
(ii) water supply treatment plant; or 
(iii) wet process air pollution control 
facility; and 
(B) any other waste having similar charac-
teristics and effect. 
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a 
program under which the Secretary shall provide grants 
to eligible governments for the purposes described in sec-
tion 4(a). 
(b) ELIGIBILITY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive a 
grant under the program, the territory of an eligible 
government shall contain— 
(A) agricultural land that contains any soil 
with levels of PFAS that the Secretary, in co-
ordination with the Administrator of the Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency, determines to be 
unsafe; or 
(B) water used for the production of farm 
products with levels of PFAS that the Adminis-
trator of the Environmental Protection Agency, 
in coordination with the Secretary, determines 
to be unsafe. 
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(2) CONSIDERATION.—In determining the eligi-
bility of an eligible government for a grant under the 
program, the Secretary, in consultation with the Ad-
ministrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, 
shall consider State standards and limitations relat-
ing to soil and water. 
(c) APPLICATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—To receive a grant under the 
program, the department of agriculture or similar 
agency of an eligible government shall submit to the 
Secretary an application at such time, in such man-
ner, and containing such information as the Sec-
retary may require. 
(2) SPEND
PLAN.—An application submitted 
under paragraph (1) shall contain a plan describing 
how the eligible government will administer the 
funding received under the program, including fund-
ing priorities and oversight. 
(d) SET-ASIDE.—Each year, the Secretary shall pro-
vide not less than 30 percent of the total funding provided 
under the program to 1 or more eligible governments with 
a population of less than 3,000,000. 
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SEC. 4. PURPOSES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—An eligible government may use 
a grant received under the program to provide funding for 
any of the following purposes: 
(1) Monitoring (including through blood serum 
testing) the PFAS-related health complications of a 
person, and members of the household of that per-
son, if agricultural land the person lives or works on 
is found to be contaminated by PFAS. 
(2) Buying, selling, or providing compensation 
for agricultural land or farm products found, 
through test results provided to the eligible govern-
ment, to be contaminated by PFAS, including costs 
associated with the depopulation or disposal of farm 
products, premortem or postmortem. 
(3) Investing in agricultural equipment, facili-
ties, and infrastructure to ensure that agricultural 
land that, or a commercial farm any agricultural 
land of which, is found to be contaminated by PFAS 
maintains profitability while the producers on the 
agricultural land, in response to the PFAS contami-
nation— 
(A) transition to an alternative production 
system; or 
(B) implement remediation strategies (in-
cluding disposal), technological adaptations, or 
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other modifications to the operations of the ag-
ricultural land or commercial farm. 
(4) Assisting the producers on agricultural land 
that, or a commercial farm any agricultural land of 
which, is found to be contaminated by PFAS in de-
veloping an enterprise budget for— 
(A) alternative production systems; 
(B) remediation strategies; 
(C) technological adaptations; 
(D) transitioning to an alternative revenue 
stream; or 
(E) relocating a farming operation to new 
agricultural land. 
(5) Providing financial assistance to a person 
the commercial farm of which is found to be con-
taminated by PFAS, including income replacement. 
(6) Evaluating and expanding the capacity of 
PFAS testing and data management in the territory 
of the eligible government. 
(7) Conducting research that— 
(A) supports short-term farm management 
decisions with respect to agricultural land that 
has been contaminated by PFAS; and 
(B) assesses future options for viable uses 
of agricultural land and water used for agricul-
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tural production that has been contaminated by 
PFAS. 
(8) Conducting research that quantifies the im-
pact of PFAS on commercial farms and agricultural 
communities in the territory of the eligible govern-
ment. 
(9) Conducting research on— 
(A) soil and water remediation systems; 
(B) the viability of those systems for 
PFAS-contaminated commercial farms; 
(C) the composting or disposal of PFAS- 
contaminated crops or livestock; 
(D) implementing alternative production 
systems in response to PFAS contamination; 
(E) the PFAS uptake of various farm 
products; and 
(F) food safety relating to PFAS contami-
nation. 
(10) Developing and implementing educational 
programs for owners of agricultural land, including 
determining best practices for— 
(A) informing residents about the potential 
of being near or on a site on which sludge or 
septage application was licensed or permitted by 
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the eligible government or the Federal Govern-
ment; and 
(B) providing information and guidance on 
buying or selling agricultural land on which 
sludge or septage was applied. 
(11) Long-term monitoring of agricultural land 
contaminated by PFAS and establishing a cor-
responding centralized data repository. 
(12) Assisting owners and operators of commer-
cial farms not directly affected by PFAS contamina-
tion with marketing efforts whose branding and 
marketing may be affected by the public perception 
of PFAS contamination in the territory of the eligi-
ble government. 
(13) Voluntary testing of farm products, agri-
cultural land, or other locations that are suspected 
to be contaminated with PFAS. 
(b) PRIORITY.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—In using funding received 
under the program, an eligible government shall 
prioritize purposes that directly assist producers who 
are experiencing financial losses due to agricultural 
PFAS contamination. 
(2) 
DEPARTMENT
OF
AGRICULTURE
PRI-
ORITY.—In providing grants under the program, the 
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Secretary shall prioritize the provision of grants to 
eligible governments that will use the grant funds 
for the purposes described in paragraphs (3) 
through (5) of subsection (a). 
SEC. 5. REPORTS. 
Each year of the period of a grant received under 
the program, the department of agriculture or similar 
agency of an eligible government shall submit to the Sec-
retary and Congress a report describing— 
(1) the uses of the grant during the previous 
year, including— 
(A) the purposes described in section 4(a) 
for which the grant was used; 
(B) the amount of the grant allocated to 
each purpose described in section 4(a); and 
(C) the extent to which the funding re-
ceived under the program, including funding 
priorities and oversight, was administered in ac-
cordance with the plan described in section 
3(c)(2); 
(2) any additional needs identified by agricul-
tural producers in the territory of the eligible gov-
ernment; and 
(3) any additional information the Secretary de-
termines to be appropriate. 
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SEC. 6. TASK FORCE. 
The Secretary shall establish a task force composed 
of officers or employees of the Department of Agri-
culture— 
(1) to provide advice to the Secretary relating 
to whether addressing PFAS contamination should 
be added as an eligible activity under each program 
of the Department of Agriculture; 
(2) to evaluate necessary actions for farms al-
ready enrolled in a Department of Agriculture pro-
gram where PFAS is detected; and 
(3) to provide technical assistance to eligible 
governments in addressing PFAS contamination. 
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec-
retary to carry out this Act $500,000,000 for the period 
of fiscal years 2024 through 2028. 
Æ 
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