Trump EPA Proposes to Eliminate and Delay Protections from Toxic Forever Chemicals in Drinking Water

Washington, D.C. — Today, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it plans to repeal federal restrictions on four PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, in drinking water. The move will eliminate the landmark 2024 regulations that set nationwide drinking water standards for the PFAS known as GenX, PFNA, PFBS, and PFHxS, which chemical companies currently manufacture. EPA also announced a proposal to allow drinking water systems to delay compliance with the standards for PFOA and PFOS — the most notorious of these toxic chemicals. Together, these actions will delay — or eliminate entirely — critical drinking water protections for up to 105 million people nationwide whose drinking water providers have detected PFAS above the levels the 2024 standards allow.

The EPA’s announcement does not explain how its proposed rollbacks align with the agency’s recent findings that these forever chemicals are highly toxic, widely present in drinking water, and can be removed from drinking water with existing technologies. EPA’s proposal also does not explain how delaying and eliminating federal restrictions on PFAS in drinking water squares with the agency’s recent announcement that reducing PFAS risks to public health is one of the agency’s top two priorities for the coming year.