Trump Administration to Propose Changes to Biden-Era PFAS Drinking Water Standards

The Trump administration will soon propose softening Biden-era limits on PFAS in drinking water, delaying but keeping tough standards for two common types and rescinding limits on some rarer forms of the substance, according to an EPA official. The proposal will start the formal process of rolling back parts of the first-ever limits on PFAS in drinking water finalized during former President Joe Biden's administration.

Officials at the time found that PFAS increased the risk of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and babies being born with low birth weight.

On Thursday that the agency intended to rescind and revisit certain limits she said were improperly issued by the Biden administration. The move aligns with actions the EPA had said a year ago they intended to take. Officials previously said they would propose rescinding limits on three types of PFAS, including GenX substances found in North Carolina.

Officials will reconsider the three types of PFAS after rescinding the limits and will also rescind and reconsider a limit on a mixture of several types of PFAS. “We need drinking water rules that are legally defensible. We need drinking water regulations that are not susceptible to legal challenge because the explicit process in the Safe Drinking Water Act wasn’t followed,” Kramer said at the conference focused on ensuring everyone has access to safe drinking water and wastewater.

She said the intent is to start the process over and follow the law. The Biden administration faced allegations they did not follow the correct legal process, moving too quickly on limits on the less common types of PFAS. ABC News reported that the agency is committed to helping utilities reduce PFAS in drinking water.

The agency provides technical assistance and there have been billions of dollars in extra funding available to assist in installing and navigating treatment to remove PFAS. The Biden administration’s rule set tight standards for PFOA and PFOS at 4 parts per trillion.

The EPA intends to keep the standards for PFOA and PFOS at 4 parts per trillion but give utilities two extra years until 2031 to comply.

” “This will support water systems across the country, including small systems in rural communities, as they work to address these contaminants,” Zeldin said at the time. On drinking water broadly, the Trump administration said they would defend tough standards to reduce lead in tap water.

ABC News reported the proposal comes at a time when the agency is facing scrutiny from the Make America Healthy Again movement on issues like PFAS and pesticides.

The group in part advocates against corporate environmental harms and has been championed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The public will have a chance to comment before the change is finalized.