Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin will announce Wednesday that the agency is keeping the current nationwide limits for “forever chemicals” in drinking water while committing to extend compliance deadlines for drinking water systems, the Daily Caller News Foundation has learned.
The Trump administration will keep maximum contaminant levels for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly referred to as “forever chemicals,” according to background information exclusively obtained by the DCNF. The EPA will propose a rule this fall to extend the compliance deadline for water utilities to 2031 to ensure that drinking water systems, especially those in rural areas, have additional time to comply with the drinking water regulation.
PFAS are a type of human-made chemicals that have been linked to adverse health effects, such as cancer and other illnesses. They do not degrade easily and more than 45% of the country’s tap water is estimated to have at least one “forever chemical,” according to a 2023 study by the U.S. Geological Survey.
The Biden EPA announced the first-ever nationwide standards on six “forever chemicals” in drinking water in April 2024. The Biden administration gave drinking water systems until 2029 to comply with the legally enforceable maximum contaminant levels for the six types of PFAS.
Zeldin, who was active on PFAS issues as a member of the House, said in a statement that extending the compliance deadline by two years gives “commonsense flexibility” to water systems who asked for additional time to develop compliance plans. The Trump EPA rolled out a PFAS agenda on April 28 that included tapping an agency lead to address “forever chemicals” and working with Congress and industry stakeholders to ensure that drinking water systems, which are passive receivers, are not liable for PFAS contamination.
“The work to protect Americans from PFAS in drinking water started under the first Trump Administration and will continue under my leadership,” Zeldin said. “We are on a path to uphold the agency’s nationwide standards to protect Americans from PFOA and PFOS in their water.
“This will support water systems across the country, including small systems in rural communities, as they work to address these contaminants,” Zeldin continued. “EPA will also continue to use its regulatory and enforcement tools to hold polluters accountable.”
Industry stakeholders praised Zeldin for extending the original compliance deadline set by the Biden administration to give water systems more time to implement plans to reduce PFAS concentration in the water supply.
“EPA has done the right thing for rural and small communities by delaying implementation of the PFAS rule,” National Rural Water Association CEO Matthew Holmes said in a statement. “This commonsense decision provides the additional time that water system managers need to identify affordable treatment technologies and make sure they are on a sustainable path to compliance.”
The Trump EPA’s decision to proceed with aspects of the Biden-era PFAS rule builds on the president’s work during his first term to address PFAS contamination, which included the convening of a PFAS national leadership summit in 2018 and the release of a PFAS action plan in 2019.
Zeldin was a founding member of the PFAS Congressional Task Force and supported legislation while serving in Congress to regulate drinking water standards for some “forever chemicals.”
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