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Agency will move forward with plans to propose weakening some Biden-era PFAS limits, official says
The agency will keep limits for PFOA and PFOS while rescinding some rarer PFAS standards and giving utilities until 2031 to comply.
On Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency announced plans to rescind and revisit certain limits on "forever chemicals" issued by the Biden administration, while maintaining standards for PFOA and PFOS with a delayed 2031 compliance deadline.
Jessica Kramer, head of the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Water, stated the Biden administration allegedly failed to follow the correct legal process, necessitating rules that are "legally defensible."
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin previously described the deadline delay as "common-sense flexibility," while the agency plans to rescind limits on GenX substances found in North Carolina and a mixture of other PFAS types before reconsidering them.
Melanie Benesh, vice president of government affairs with the Environmental Working Group, argued the move likely violates the Safe Drinking Water Act, noting that PFAS treatment ensures other harmful substances are filtered out.
The public will have a chance to comment before finalization, as this shift coincides with scrutiny from the Make America Healthy Again movement championed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. regarding PFAS regulations.