Notice2022-14862
Request for Information; Identifying Critical Data Gaps and Needs To Inform Federal Strategic Plan for PFAS Research and Development
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Published
July 13, 2022
Issuing agencies
Science and Technology Policy Office
Abstract
The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) requests input from all interested parties to identify data gaps in research and development regarding several aspects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This information will be used to inform a strategic plan for Federal coordination of PFAS research and development and, in compliance with Section 332 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21 NDAA), the interagency strategy team on PFAS will also develop an implementation plan for Federal agencies.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 133 (Wednesday, July 13, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 133 (Wednesday, July 13, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41749-41750]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-14862]
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OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
Request for Information; Identifying Critical Data Gaps and Needs
To Inform Federal Strategic Plan for PFAS Research and Development
AGENCY: Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).
ACTION: Notice of Request for Information (RFI).
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SUMMARY: The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) requests
input from all interested parties to identify data gaps in research and
development regarding several aspects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl
substances (PFAS). This information will be used to inform a strategic
plan for Federal coordination of PFAS research and development and, in
compliance with Section 332 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21 NDAA), the
interagency strategy team on PFAS will also develop an implementation
plan for Federal agencies.
DATES: Interested persons and organizations are invited to submit
comments on or before 5:00 p.m. ET, August 29, 2022.
ADDRESSES: Interested individuals and organizations should submit
comments electronically to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d49e91918494bba7a0a4fab1bba4fab3bba2"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e3a9a6a6b3a38c909793cd868c93cd848c95">[email protected]</span></a> and include ``RFI
Response: PFAS Strategic Plan'' in the subject line of the email. Email
submissions should be machine-readable [PDF, Word] and should not be
copy-protected. Submissions received after the deadline may not be
taken into consideration.
Instructions: Response to this RFI is voluntary. Each individual or
organization is requested to submit only one response. Commenters can
respond to one or many questions. However, responses must not exceed a
total of five (5) pages in 12 point or larger font, with a page number
provided on each page. Submissions should clearly indicate which
questions are being addressed. A bibliography does not count towards
the page limit. Responses should include the name of the person(s) or
organization(s) filing the response. Responses containing references,
studies, research, and other empirical data that are not widely
published should include copies of or electronic links to the
referenced materials. Responses containing profanity, vulgarity,
threats, or other inappropriate language or content will not be
considered.
Comments submitted in response to this notice are subject to the
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). No business proprietary information,
copyrighted information, or personally identifiable information should
be submitted in response to this RFI. Please be aware that comments
submitted in response to this RFI, including the submitter's
identification (as noted above), may be posted, without change, on
OSTP's or another Federal website or otherwise released publicly.
In accordance with FAR 15-202(3), responses to this notice are not
offers and cannot be accepted by the U.S. Government to form a binding
contract. Additionally, the U.S. Government will not pay for response
preparation or for the use of any information contained in the
response.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information, please
direct questions to Melanie Buser at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#38727d7d6878574b4c48165d5748165f574e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="561c13130616392522267833392678313920">[email protected]</span></a> or 202-456-4444.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background: The Biden-Harris Administration
is committed to combatting PFAS pollution and to ensuring access to
clean drinking water for all Americans.\1\ \2\ OSTP has been tasked
under Section 332 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21 NDAA) (Pub. L. 116-283)
with developing a strategic plan for PFAS research and development.
This strategic plan should identify ``scientific and technological
challenges that must be addressed to understand and to significantly
reduce the environmental and human health impacts of PFAS and to
identify cost-effective--
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\1\ FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Launches Plan to
Combat PFAS Pollution [bond] The White House.
\2\ FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Combatting PFAS
Pollution to Safeguard Clean Drinking Water for All Americans [bond]
The White House.
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(i) alternatives to PFAS that are designed to be safer and more
environmentally friendly;
(ii) methods for removal of PFAS from the environment; and
(iii) methods to safely destroy or degrade PFAS;'' and subsequently
to establish ``goals, priorities, and metrics for federally funded PFAS
research and development that takes into account the current state of
research and development.''
This strategic plan will be the precursor to an R&D implementation
plan for Federal agencies. Two agencies currently have existing agency
plans that speak to PFAS R&D: the USGS Strategic Science Vision \3\ and
the EPA PFAS Strategic Roadmap.\4\ Other Federal agencies may develop
their own PFAS R&D plans and may use answers from this RFI to inform
future directions.
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\3\ <a href="https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/cir1490">https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/cir1490</a>.
\4\ <a href="https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2021-10/pfas-roadmap_final-508.pdf">https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2021-10/pfas-roadmap_final-508.pdf</a>.
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For purposes of this RFI, the term per- and polyfluoroalkyl
substances or PFAS has the definition provided in Section 332(g)(1) of
the FY21 NDAA: ``(A) man-made chemicals of which all of the carbon
atoms are fully fluorinated carbon atoms; and (B) man-made chemicals
containing a mix of fully fluorinated carbon atoms, partially
fluorinated carbon atoms, and nonfluorinated carbon atoms''. PFAS have
been widely used in industry and consumer products since the 1940s
because of their useful properties. Examples of products that use PFAS
include food contact materials (e.g., packaging, cookware), stain and
water-repellant fabrics and carpets, and firefighting foams. PFAS may
be present in water, soil, air, food, and other materials. Research has
shown that PFAS are highly stable chemicals that accumulate in people,
animals, and the environment over time, and in several cases, have been
shown to cause adverse health effects.
Scope: OSTP invites input from States; Tribes; territories;
individuals, including those belonging to groups that have been
historically underserved, marginalized, or subject to discrimination or
systemic disadvantage; local governments; appropriate industries;
academic institutions; nongovernmental organizations; and international
organizations with expertise in PFAS research and development,
treatment, management, and alternative development.
Information Requested: Respondents may provide information for one
or as many topics below as they choose. Submissions should clearly
indicate which questions are being addressed. For the purpose of this
RFI, ``PFAS research and development'' includes any research or project
meeting one or more of the following goals:
(A) The removal of PFAS from the environment, in part or in total;
[[Page 41750]]
(B) The safe destruction or degradation of PFAS;
(C) The development and deployment of safer and more
environmentally-friendly alternative substances that are functionally
similar to those made with PFAS;
(D) The understanding of sources of environmental PFAS
contamination and pathways to exposure for the public; and/or,
(E) The understanding of the toxicity of PFAS to humans and
animals.\5\
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\5\ <a href="https://www.congress.gov/116/plaws/publ283/PLAW-116publ283.pdf">https://www.congress.gov/116/plaws/publ283/PLAW-116publ283.pdf</a>.
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Given PFAS are a large, diverse class of substances, making it
difficult to comprehensively evaluate the environmental and human
impacts, OSTP is interested in responses to the following questions:
1. Should the USG consider identifying priority PFAS when
developing a strategic plan for PFAS research and development? If so,
what criteria should be used to identify priority PFAS for research and
development (e.g., tonnage used per year; releases to the environment
per year; toxicology or other human or environmental health concerns;
national security or critical infrastructure uses)?
2. Are there criteria which could be applied across the five
research goals identified above, or should specific criteria be
developed for each individual research goal?
3. Based on the definition of PFAS in this RFI, what are the
scientific, technological, and human challenges that must be addressed
to understand and to significantly reduce the environmental and human
impacts of PFAS and to identify cost-effective:
a. Alternatives to PFAS that are designed to be safer and more
environmentally friendly;
b. Methods for removal of PFAS from the environment; and
c. Methods to safely destroy or degrade PFAS?
4. Are there specific chemistries and/or intended uses that PFAS
provide for which there are no known alternatives at this time?
5. What are alternatives to the definition of PFAS provided in this
RFI? What are the implications of these alternative definitions on
possible remediation strategies?
6. What should be the research and development priorities for
accelerating progress, improving efficiency, and reducing the cost of:
analytical methods, detection limits, non-targeted detection?
7. What studies would yield the most useful information and address
the current gaps in understanding PFAS health effects in humans (e.g.,
in vitro, animal toxicological, and epidemiological studies)? Which
health effects should be prioritized? What additional impacts beyond
health should be prioritized? Social scientific approaches are welcome
in addressing this question and any others, as appropriate.
8. One challenge across all research goals is PFAS mixtures and
formulations. Currently, more information is needed to understand the
identity, composition, occurrence, source, or effects on human health
and the environment for mixtures of PFAS found in environmental media.
Additionally, more information is needed to understand the best way to
remediate or destroy media contaminated with multiple PFAS. What should
be the research and development priorities for accelerating progress in
these areas?
9. What goals, priorities, and performance metrics would be
valuable in measuring the success of National, federally funded PFAS
research and development initiatives relating to:
a. The removal of PFAS from the environment;
b. Safely destroying or degrading PFAS; and
c. Developing safer and more environmentally-friendly alternatives
to PFAS?
d. Mitigating negative human effects of PFAS, whether related to
health or additional domains?
Dated: July 7, 2022.
Stacy Murphy,
Operations Manager.
[FR Doc. 2022-14862 Filed 7-12-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3270-F2-P
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