Govind Tekale
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced plans to partially roll back drinking water protections against harmful “forever chemicals,” while maintaining strict limits on two of the most dangerous compounds.
Under the changes, the EPA will keep the strict 4 parts per trillion (ppt) limits for PFOA and PFOS, two widely studied PFAS chemicals linked to serious health problems. However, the agency wants to rescind or reconsider regulations for three other PFAS compounds (GenX, PFHxS, PFNA) and the Hazard Index mixture that included PFBS. The EPA will also extend the compliance deadline for water utilities from 2029 to 2031.
Over 73 million Americans are served by water systems that have detected PFAS at levels above the limits the EPA now seeks to rescind or delay.
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“The EPA’s request to jettison rules intended to keep drinking water safe from toxic PFAS forever chemicals is an attempted end-run around the protections that Congress placed in the Safe Drinking Water Act,” said Jared Thompson, a senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are synthetic chemicals used in countless consumer products from non-stick cookware to waterproof clothing. They don’t break down naturally – earning them the “forever chemicals” nickname – and they accumulate in the human body over time.
Even low levels of PFAS exposure have been linked to kidney and testicular cancer, liver and kidney damage, hormone disruption, and harm to reproductive systems.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin frames the changes as providing “common-sense flexibility” while maintaining protection against PFOA and PFOS. The agency cites concerns about feasibility for small water systems as one reason for the extended timeline.
Matthew Holmes, CEO of the National Rural Water Association, supports the deadline extension, noting real-world challenges in project timelines for treatment upgrades in small communities.
Environmental groups see things differently. They argue the rollback violates the Safe Drinking Water Act’s “anti-backsliding” provision, which prohibits the EPA from weakening drinking water standards once they’re set.
“Administrator Zeldin promised to protect the American people from PFAS-contaminated drinking water, but he’s doing the opposite,” said Katherine O’Brien, an attorney with Earthjustice. “Zeldin’s plan to delay and roll back the first national limits on these forever chemicals prioritizes chemical industry profits and utility companies’ bottom line over the health of children and families.”
The EPA plans to propose the revised rule in fall 2025 and finalize it by spring 2026. During this process, the agency is launching a PFAS OUTreach initiative to help small and rural water systems with compliance planning.
The rule changes could have significant local impacts. In North Carolina, for example, concerns are mounting about the Chemours facility where GenX chemicals are produced, as EPA reconsiders the GenX standards.
The current situation stems from the EPA’s April 2024 rule that established the nation’s first drinking water standards for PFAS after decades of advocacy from environmental and health groups. The American Water Works Association and others challenged these standards in court (case 24-1088).
Now, the EPA has announced plans to rescind parts of these standards through rulemaking and has sought litigation abeyances — a move critics say attempts to bypass legal protections against backsliding on drinking water safety.
The NRDC and community groups represented by Earthjustice have intervened in the ongoing litigation to defend the original standards, emphasizing that PFAS can be removed from drinking water with existing technologies.The pollution caused by these chemicals has far-reaching consequences for public health and the environment. Some companies are working on developing sustainable alternatives to PFAS-containing products, including textiles that are PFAS-free, while research on the health impacts of these chemicals continues.
