To direct the Secretary of Defense to designate a Coordinator for Engagement with PFAS-impacted defense communities.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill creates a named DOD engagement role for PFAS-impacted defense communities. Within one year after enactment, the Secretary of Defense must designate a Department official as the Coordinator for Engagement with Defense Communities Affected by PFAS. The coordinator's job is to improve DOD outreach, education, and communication for current or former defense communities in the United States affected by contamination or leakage of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. The coordinator must also serve as a dedicated liaison between DOD and local governments, advocacy organizations, and individual citizens in communities where DOD has ongoing or incomplete PFAS remediation projects. The bill does not set cleanup standards or appropriate remediation money; its concrete mechanism is accountability and communication for communities affected by military PFAS releases.
Who Benefits and How
PFAS-impacted defense communities benefit from a dedicated DOD liaison for cleanup communication and education. Local governments near defense sites benefit from a named contact for ongoing or incomplete remediation projects. Community advocacy organizations benefit from formal engagement with DOD on PFAS contamination. Individual residents benefit if DOD outreach becomes clearer about contamination, leakage, and remediation status.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Defense Department environmental staff must designate and support the PFAS community engagement coordinator. Military installation remediation offices must coordinate information with the new liaison role. DOD leadership faces greater accountability for communication with affected communities. Federal taxpayers bear the administrative cost of the coordinator role.
Key Provisions
- Requires DOD to designate a PFAS-impacted defense community coordinator within one year.
- Improves outreach, education, and communication for affected current and former defense communities.
- Creates a dedicated liaison for local governments, advocacy organizations, and residents.
- Targets communities with ongoing or incomplete DOD PFAS remediation projects.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Requires the Defense Secretary, within one year, to designate a Department of Defense coordinator for outreach, education, communication, and liaison work with current and former defense communities affected by PFAS contamination or leakage where DOD remediation projects remain ongoing or incomplete.
Key Policy Areas
Defense, PFAS, Environmental Remediation
Primary Purpose
Requires the Defense Secretary, within one year, to designate a Department of Defense coordinator for outreach, education, communication, and liaison work with current and former defense communities affected by PFAS contamination or leakage where DOD remediation projects remain ongoing or incomplete.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- PFAS-impacted defense communities
- Local governments near defense sites
- Community advocacy organizations
- Individual residents
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Defense Department environmental staff
- Military installation remediation offices
- DOD leadership
- Federal taxpayers
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Fitzpatrick (for himself and Ms. McDonald Rivet) introduced the …
Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
Introduced in House
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
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