Congress funds PFAS cleanup for farmers hit by forever chemicals
S. 3353 — Relief for Farmers Hit with PFAS Act · Filed by Susan Collins (R-ME) · 4 cosponsors · Introduced Dec 4, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to distribute $500 million in grants over five years (2026–2030) to states, territories, and Indian tribes to help farmers address PFAS (forever chemicals) contamination on agricultural land and water. Eligible governments can use grants to monitor health impacts, buy contaminated land or crops, invest in equipment to maintain profitability during transition, provide income replacement, conduct research, and educate farmers—with priority given to producers experiencing direct financial losses.
Why we flagged it
The bill functions as targeted federal assistance to farmers harmed by environmental contamination (PFAS), similar in structure to disaster-relief programs. It provides grants to state and tribal governments to distribute to affected producers for remediation, transition, and income support.
What the text implies
- Section 4(12) permits grants for marketing assistance to farms NOT directly contaminated, to offset reputational damage from regional PFAS perception—this is an indirect subsidy to unaffected producers and may create moral hazard or competitive distortion.
- The bill defines PFAS using EPA's 'most recent working definition,' which is subject to change; future EPA expansions of PFAS scope could dramatically increase program costs and eligible contamination claims without additional appropriations.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
agricultural producers and commercial farms affected by PFAS contamination; state and tribal agricultural agencies (as grant administrators); agricultural equipment and infrastructure vendors (Section 4(3))