The initiative, called PFAS Technology Evaluation, Coordinate and Harmonization, is intended to connect the EPA with private groups and other government agencies. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said it would support research grants to universities and businesses, small pilot projects at sites such as military bases and wastewater plants, and an online tool for local officials.

“We cannot solve PFAS challenges with yesterday’s tools,” Zeldin said during the announcement. He said the effort would speed development of treatment and disposal methods through new partnerships and support for early-stage work. He did not say how much the program would cost, saying it would be funded through the agency’s budget.

PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, can remain in the environment and the human body for years. The EPA says exposure to some of the chemicals has been linked to health risks including reduced fertility, high blood pressure during pregnancy, developmental delays in children and increased cancer risk. A 2020 study estimated that about 200 million people in the United States had received drinking water containing some PFAS.

The Commerce City facility, which opened this year, uses ion-exchange technology to reduce PFAS in water. South Adams County Water and Sanitation District received more than $60 million in federal grants to build it, along with a low-cost loan through an EPA drinking-water program.

The area’s water has been affected by pollutants associated with the nearby Rocky Mountain Arsenal, where chemical weapons were manufactured and contaminants seeped into groundwater. A federal lawsuit also alleges contamination tied to a Denver firefighting training facility.

Zeldin said billions of dollars in federal loans are available to local governments for drinking-water projects, but argued that polluters—not utility customers—should ultimately bear cleanup costs. “Ratepayers shouldn’t be responsible for cleaning up PFAS contamination from their own supply,” he said.

The new technology initiative arrives as water systems prepare to meet federal PFAS limits finalized under the Biden administration. Utilities must measure initial PFAS levels by April 2027 and, under the current schedule, meet limits by 2029 and notify the public when contamination exceeds them.

The Trump administration has proposed delaying the 2029 compliance deadlines and has considered removing limits for four types of PFAS. The limits have so far remained in place despite broader EPA rollbacks.

Environmental Defense Fund chemicals policy director Maria Doa welcomed research that could help develop future solutions but questioned whether it could substitute for current protections. She also criticized the administration’s reduction and reorganization of the EPA’s research office, which studied PFAS. According to June congressional testimony by career EPA official Maureen Gwinn, the office has lost 400 to 500 employees—about one-third of its staff—since the start of the administration.

“Research may help solve this problem in the future, but it does nothing to lessen the risks that PFAS pose to Americans today,” Doa said.