Cash buyback
None
← Scoreboard
MD
Maryland
Planned / legislatedCollected
0 gal
10,535 gal surveyed, none collected
Target
,
Destruction
Out-of-state disposal (TBD)
Deadline
PassedBan took effect Jan 1, 2024
Federal law applies in every state
- EPA set enforceable drinking-water limits for PFOA and PFOS at 4 parts per trillion (2024). A May 2026 proposal would keep those two, extend compliance to 2031, and rescind the others. Proposed, not final.
- Under CERCLA (the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act), PFOA and PFOS are hazardous substances, so cleanup liability is strict, retroactive, and joint and several.
- Federally required uses at Part 139 airports and military installations follow federal rules regardless of state law.
- The Department of Defense is phasing out AFFF under the NDAA.
State law and program in Maryland
Senate Bill 273 (2022), the George 'Walter' Taylor Act (Chapter 139) ↗
What's still allowed
Manufacture/sale/use/distribution of PFAS Class B foam has been banned since Jan 1, 2024; Part 139 airport and military uses remain exempt.
How to get rid of PFAS foam
No collection has occurred yet, hold foam safely. The mandated MDE takeback is in procurement (3rd RFP, April 2026); the law prohibits in-state landfilling/incineration of the foam, so disposal must be out-of-state.
Funding and help
There is no state takeback funding in Maryland yet. The federal options below apply everywhere.
Federal funding, available in every state
- EPA Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities grant ↗, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
- Drinking Water State Revolving Fund ↗, including the infrastructure-law set-aside for emerging contaminants like PFAS.
- FAA airport foam transition support ↗ for Part 139 commercial airports moving off fluorinated foam.
- Fire departments with contaminated water may qualify as claimants in the aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) settlements.
Future plans
MDE has conceded delays; a 2025 survey identified at least 10,535 gallons held by responsive fire companies. $500K was appropriated and may be insufficient.
Destruction & vendors
Foam in Maryland is handled by: Out-of-state disposal (TBD). 4 years after the ban, zero gallons collected; 3rd procurement attempt April 2026.
Official sources
Maryland official program page ↗A note for smaller departments
Large departments and municipalities usually have legal counsel and a budget to manage PFAS liability. Small and volunteer departments often do not. That makes a documented chain of custody and a certificate of destruction the strongest protection a small department has: proof that the foam was handled lawfully and never released. See liability and litigation.
⚠ Never discharge PFAS foam. Keep the certificate of destruction.
Firefighting foam containing PFAS cannot lawfully be released anywhere: not overboard, in a harbor or slip, down a drain or sewer, onto the ground, or into an ordinary landfill. Under CERCLA (the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act), PFOA and PFOS are hazardous substances, and disposal liability is strict, retroactive, and joint and several, so whoever sent the waste can be billed for the cleanup years later. Keep the certificate of destruction: if you cannot document that the foam was destroyed, you cannot prove where it went, and foam you cannot account for can be treated as a release to the environment, with the liability that follows. EPA / CERCLA ↗