EPA to delay limits on PFAS in drinking water

The US Environmental Protection Agency plans to give drinking-water utilities an extra 2 years to meet strict limits for two of the most toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). In a May 14 press release, the agency says that it will defend the limits for those two PFAS. But it also says it plans to roll back and revisit limits for four others—perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS), perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA, which is used in Chemours’s GenX product).Last year, the EPA set limits for PFOA and PFOS in drinking water at 4 parts per trillion each and gave public drinking-water systems 5 years to comply. In response to pushback and legal challenges from water utilities, the agency now says it will propose a rule this fall to delay the compliance date until 2031. But the EPA also says it will support the Department of Justice in defending the PFOA and PFOS drinking water limits in ongoing litigation.The DC Circuit Court of Appeals has delayed proceedings in that case (American Water Works Association et al. v. EPA, case no. 24-1188) three times this year at the request of the EPA under the administration of President Donald J. Trump. The latest court order, on May 14, directs the EPA to file motions by June 4.State drinking-water systems welcome the EPA’s plan to extend the compliance date for PFOA and PFOS. “With the current compliance date of 2029, states and