The Trump administration has announced a surge in measures to target PFA pollution, but it remained motherly as to whether it intends to support Biden-era rules that demand utilities to remove “eternal chemicals” from the tap water of hundreds of millions of Americans.
“We're looking forward to seeing you in the process of exploring the world,” said Lee Zeldin, Environmental Protection Agency administrator. “This is just the beginning of the work Americans do at PFA to ensure they have the cleanest air, land and water.”
PFA, or polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of chemicals associated with cancer and other diseases, and are widely used in everyday products such as waterproof clothing and paper straws. Chemicals that don't easily break down in the environment are appearing in drinking water nationwide. As many as 158 million Americans have PFAs underwater, according to the latest EPA data.
Last year, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. set the first PFA limit on drinking water. These rules effectively require local government water systems to remove certain types of PFA.
However, the Water and Chemical Industry Group have filed a lawsuit claiming that drinking water standards are too expensive. The Trump administration will decide in court whether to continue to adhere to standards in the face of the May 12 deadline.
On Monday, the EPA announced measures to tackle PFA contamination. This included designating officials leading the agency's efforts on chemicals, developing guidelines on how much PFAS plants can be released with PFAS plants wastewater, engaging with Congress and figuring out ways to hold contaminants accountable.
The EPA also said it would determine the forward path to address PFAS contamination of fertilizers made from sewage sludge. There is growing concern over the widespread contamination of American farmland from sludge fertilizers, also known as biosolids, containing dangerous levels of PFA.
The environmental group said the EPA's plan lacks details, including whether it intended to defend Biden-era drinking water standards in court. Among the only hints about what the Trump administration does was mention the need to address “compliance challenges.”
The Trump administration is also facing a court deadline next month on whether it will continue to defend two types of PFA designations that polluters must clean under the country's Superfund Act as harmful chemicals.
“The important thing we really want a direct answer, they punt completely,” said Eric D. Olson, senior strategist on drinking water and health for the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group.
The EPA also says it relies on science, Olson said, but he did not say the institution plans to remove the scientific research department and cut the institution's overall budget by 65%. “On the one hand, the EPA says it's going to do all this new job, but it also intends to cut budgets and eliminate scientists who are responsible for doing the work,” he said. “I don't know how this fits.”
On Monday, the EPA did not immediately comment on how it would proceed with drinking water standards and superfund policies. Industry groups that sue EPA over PFAs, including the American Water Works Association and the National Association of Manufacturers, also did not provide immediate comment.
James L. Ferraro, an environmental lawyer representing several water operators, said the EPA announcement “indicates that agencies are paying attention to the cost burden that PFAS regulations place on public water systems as well as industry.” Still, he said the new measures felt “very preliminary.” “We'll see how this unfolds.”
The EPA announcement of measures to tackle the PFA is as the administration pursues a broader effort to roll back the country's climate and environmental regulations. Still, polls consistently show that protecting clean water is popular regardless of politics compared to policies to tackle climate change.
Even the White House has acted against paper straws, but said “scientists and regulators have been very concerned about PFAS chemicals for decades.”
