Description:
S. 2353 would direct the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to develop and publish guidance for firefighters and other emergency responders for reducing exposure to PFAS. The guidance would include information on best practices, training, and education that FEMA would develop in consultation with scientists, firefighters, manufacturers, and staff at other federal agencies. For this estimate, CBO assumes that bill will be enacted in fiscal year 2020. Under that assumption, the agency could incur some costs in 2020, but CBO expects that most of the costs would be incurred in 2021 and later. Any spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds. Using information provided by FEMA about the cost of similar efforts, CBO estimates that the agency would initially spend about $400,000 to create guidance and training materials related to PFAS, and about $100,000 each year thereafter to update those materials. The bill also would require FEMA to create an online repository with tools and best practices concerning PFAS, and to update its guidance and the repository biannually. CBO estimates that the agency would initially need about $250,000 to create the repository, and about $100,000 each year thereafter to update and maintain the system. To oversee the implementation of the guidance and repository, CBO expects that FEMA would need a program manager at an estimated cost of $180,000 per year. In total, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost about $2 million over the 2020-2024 period.
