This bill amends the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act to enhance the definitions and regulations surrounding hazardous substances, particularly focusing on polyfluoroalkyl and perfluorinated substances. It introduces new definitions for "hazardous substance," which now explicitly includes these substances and establishes criteria for determining their harmfulness to public health and safety. Additionally, the bill defines "public water supplier" and "special drinking water resource-impacted community," allowing for the declaration of municipalities affected by hazardous substances and the establishment of emergency drinking water standards.

Furthermore, the bill grants the Governor the authority to declare a municipality as a special drinking water resource-impacted community based on specific findings related to hazardous substances. It also mandates testing for these substances in public water supplies and requires public water suppliers to report their findings. The Department of Environmental Resources is tasked with making this information publicly accessible. Importantly, the bill includes provisions that protect municipalities and public water suppliers from being deemed responsible for the presence of these substances in certain operational wastes, thereby clarifying liability issues. The act is set to take effect 60 days after its passage.

Statutes/Laws affected:
Printer's No. 578 (Feb 12, 2025): P.L.756, No.108, P.L.380, No.97
Printer's No. 0578: P.L.756, No.108, P.L.380, No.97