The Rhode Island General Assembly approved Senate Bill 2799 on June 11, 2026, proposing amendments to the Consumer PFAS Ban Act of 2024 (R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-18.18). Key amendments include: (1) clarifying enforcement provisions for the Department of Environmental Management (DEM); (2) authorizing DEM to join a multijurisdictional clearinghouse to assist in administering PFAS product compliance; and (3) granting DEM authority to issue exemptions for certain products. The bill awaits the Governor's signature. Existing product prohibition deadlines remain in effect, including the January 1, 2027 ban on cookware, cosmetics, carpets, fabric treatments, juvenile products, menstrual products, ski wax, textile articles, and firefighting personal protective equipment containing intentionally added PFAS.
Governor McKee signed legislation (2025-S 0241, 2025-H 5019) on June 16, 2025 prohibiting the manufacture, sale, or distribution of firefighting personal protective equipment (FPPE) containing intentionally added PFAS in Rhode Island. The law covers gloves, helmets, jackets, pants, respiratory equipment, and shoes worn by firefighting personnel. Manufacturers selling FPPE must provide written notice at time of sale if equipment contains PFAS. This expands upon the 2024 Consumer PFAS Ban Act which addressed Class B firefighting foam.
Governor McKee approved legislation (2025-H 5844A, 2025-S 0650A) requiring anyone applying for a permit to spread biosolids on land as fertilizer to first test the material for PFAS contamination. Quarterly testing is required for all permit holders, with results reported to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. First reports are due December 31, 2025.
The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) Center for Drinking Water Quality published a fact sheet providing general information about recently promulgated state drinking water regulations concerning PFAS. The document also highlights available funding through the EPA Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities (EC-SDC) Grant Program to address PFAS in drinking water. This guidance helps public water systems understand their compliance obligations under the new PFAS standards.