Section 485-H:8 - Duties of the DepartmentI. The department shall perform the following duties to the limit of available funding: (a) Establishing and administrating the PFAS remediation loan and grant program to assist municipalities; community and non-profit, non-transient non-community water systems; and publicly owned and non-profit wastewater treatment facilities with the cost of complying with PFAS drinking water standards or other applicable PFAS standards.(b) Establishing and administering a loan forgiveness program to assist disadvantaged communities with loan repayment.(c) Awarding loan funds to projects that meet the provisions of this chapter including the following criteria:(1) The project is or was necessary to comply with a PFAS drinking water standard or other applicable PFAS standard and the applicant for funding is a municipality, a community water system, or a non-profit, non-transient public water system, or a publicly-owned or non-profit wastewater and/or wastewater residual treatment or storage facility.(2) The applicant has demonstrated, to the satisfaction of the department, that the project is the most cost-effective way to meet PFAS drinking water standards and other applicable PFAS standards.(d) Awarding reimbursements to projects from the fund in a manner consistent with this chapter.(e) Investigating, testing, and monitoring PFAS in soil, groundwater, surface water, wastewater, air, biota, and other media.(f) Conducting scientific investigation to support development of appropriate regulatory standards for PFAS, and development and implementation of treatment and remediation methods for PFAS in air, water, soil and other media.II. Every year beginning December 1, 2020, the department shall prepare and file a report with the general court evaluating the progress made relative to PFAS contamination, the efficiency of the program established under this chapter, and whether it continues to provide the maximum benefit to New Hampshire citizens, and providing any recommendations on potential additional tasks for which the fund could be used to address PFAS contamination.Amended by 2023, 79:361, eff. 6/20/2023.Amended by 2021 , 223: 8, eff. 8/24/2021.Added by 2020 , 30: 4, eff. 7/23/2020. 2020, 30 : 4 , eff. July 23, 2020. 2021, 223 : 8 , eff. Aug. 24, 2021.