Earlier this week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it will rollback maximum contaminant levels for four per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in drinking water and extend the compliance period for two other PFAS chemicals.
The proposed rule would rescind regulations set under the Biden administration for PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA and PFBS, which is a mixture of these three PFAS chemicals. The new rule would remove the requirement for municipalities to install filtration to remove these specific chemicals.
“The Trump EPA is committed to Make America Healthy Again by ensuring clean air, land and water — and by taking on PFAS the right way, across the full lifecycle and built to last. That means rules grounded in gold-standard science and the Safe Drinking Water Act, support for water systems on the front lines and action to stop PFAS pollution at the source before it ever reaches a tap,” said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin in a press release.
The EPA says it is drafting a new rule that would implement new standards on “key industrial categories” that discharge PFAS in an effort to keep the chemicals out of the water supply.
The proposed rule will also allow for an extra two years for municipalities to abide by federal limits on PFOA and PFOS in drinking water. These two PFAS chemicals are linked to human health issues such as increased cancer risk, developmental issues and reproductive health complications, according to the EPA. Under the new rule, water authorities will have the option to extend their compliance until 2031 to ensure PFOA and PFOS levels in drinking water are under the 4 parts per trillion limit.
New York state lawmakers have proposed legislation at the state level that would limit all six of these PFAS chemicals. The bill passed the state Senate in March but has since been returned to the Senate after being amended, and it is in committee for the Assembly.
“The EPA has chosen to side with polluters over the people it was established to protect, so New Yorkers must protect ourselves,” said Rob Hayes, senior director of clean water for Environmental Advocates NY, in a press release. “The science is clear: PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ are deadly poisons that don’t belong in our drinking water.”
Along with the proposed rules, the EPA announced $1 billion in funding for small communities to address PFAS and other emergency contaminants.
