HB 4389, 4390, 4391: PFAS Fire fighting foam rules, regulations & take backs

House Bill 4389 establishes a PFAS firefighting foam collection program at the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). The bills also require the reporting of the use of firefighting foams within 48 hours including the following information: the purpose for the PFAS foam use, where it was used, how much was used, how much water was used, the brand and manufacturer of the product used, and the proposed process for cleanup and disposal. rnHouse Bill 4390 bars the use of PFAS firefighting foam in firefighting training, and requires proper training for the emergency use, handling, storage, disposal and personnel cleanup of PFAS foam. rnHouse Bill 4391 calls for rulemaking to be promulgated by the Department of Labor. The rules will be established based on best practices for handling & storing PFAS foam by emergency responders. The bill goes on to ban the use of PFAS foam for training purposes, and to abrogate the use of PFAS foam for equipment calibration after Jan 1st 2020, unless certain stringent conditions have been met. Taken together, the bills are a small step forward to decrease the PFAS introduced into the environment from one significant source. rnrnn