The EPA is considering the limits on the harmful substances in drinking water
Environmental Laws and Water Conservation Laws: Reply to the Trump Administration over PFAS Regulations and Implications for Public Health and Public Works
The initial compliance date for those rules was 2029. The compliance deadline will be moved back to 2031, according to the EPA, so that pressure on small water systems can be alleviated. The Trump administration believes that its proposal would save money, and that chemicals are difficult to destroy.
PFAS are a class of thousands of chemicals that have been used for decades to waterproof and stainproof a variety of products including clothing, cosmetics, upholstery and firefighting foams. They’re sometimes referred to as “forever chemicals” because they contain strong bonds that stay with them for decades. There is evidence of long-term harm to human health due to long-term exposure to PFAS.
The EPA administrator Lee Zeldin said at a Congressional hearing that the final level of limits may be a lower number than they originally were.
The proposed delays and exclusions were criticized by health and environmental advocates as a threat. Mary Grant, water program director at the Food & Water Watch said that today’s decision is shameful and dangerous as it will allow continued pollution of our drinking water. This will cost lives.
“We strongly support the agency’s decision to rescind the regulations…and ensure future rulemakings respect the Safe Drinking Water Act process,” read a joint email statement from the heads of the American Water Works Association and the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, two groups that have sued the EPA over its PFAS regulation.
They said the process requires EPA to construct rules that “maximize public health benefits in a cost-effective manner. The process helps ensure that every dollar of rate payers money is directed towards the most pressing public health risks.
The Safe Drinking Water Act also contains a measure commonly known as the “anti-backsliding provision,” which deems it illegal to weaken a drinking water rule once it’s set, says Reade. While she’s concerned that the agency may attempt to weaken the rule regardless, “The real damage right now is that it’s delaying movement towards drinking water protections for PFAS,” she says.
The EPA said it would launch new research on the chemicals in April of this year. Even as the Trump administration tried to axe the agency’s staff and budget, advocacy groups were still concerned that the agency might have delayed action by calling for more studies. A growing number of evidence pointed to the health risks of drinking water limits, prompting a push by advocates for them since Donald Trump took office.
New Limits on Forbidden Chemicals From the EPA About-Face and Implications for Mixtures, Floor Wax, Carpeting, and Carpet Cleaning
is a senior science reporter covering energy and the environment with more than a decade of experience. She is also the host of Hell or High Water: When Disaster Hits Home , a podcast from Vox Media and Audible Originals.
The EPA finalized legal drinking water limits on most of the most common types of forever chemicals last year. Today, the EPA announced an about-face. The agency now wants to exclude several types of the chemicals from the rule, including so-called GenX substances initially intended to replace older versions of forever chemicals but that ended up creating new concerns. It also proposed extending compliance deadlines for the two most prevalent forms of forever chemicals, and says it’ll establish a “framework” for more exemptions.
The Biden-era standards set limits for just five widely used types of chemicals: PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFHxS, and HFPO-DA (also known as “GenX Chemicals”), plus mixtures of several chemicals, including perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS), found in floor wax, carpeting, and carpet cleaners.
US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zelden said the final levels of PFAS drinking water limits may be lower than they originally were. He added the final level of limits may be a lower number than they originally were. The agency had decided to rescind the rules last year, saying that they weren’t in keeping with the Safe Drinking Water Act process.