By STAFF REPORTS
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced this week changes to regulation of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. The changes would allow public waters systems more time to meet standards, while also eliminating restrictions on four of the six chemicals for which the prior administration set standards.
PFAS are man-made chemicals said to be resistant to heat, water, and oil, used in a variety of products. Experts warn that as PFAS are ingested by people and animals, they can cause a variety of health problems. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has said that addressing PFAS will be a top priority of the administration.
The plan, unveiled by Zeldin alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., would continue regulating perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), which a prior rule submitted under the Biden Administration did. The proposed changes will be laid out in rule that will allow for public comment.
However, standards for Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA/GenX), and the hazard-index mixtures involving those three PFAS plus perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS) are not addressed in the new rules. The proposed rule would also create an opt-in process for eligible drinking water systems to add two additional years, until 2031, to come into compliance.
“The Trump EPA is committed to Make America Healthy Again by ensuring clean air, land, and water—and by taking on PFAS the right way, across the full lifecycle and built to last,” said Zeldin. “That means rules grounded in gold-standard science and the Safe Drinking Water Act, support for water systems on the front lines, and action to stop PFAS pollution at the source before it ever reaches a tap. The Biden administration cut corners and failed to follow the law. We are fixing that error with standards water systems can actually implement and that will hold up to scrutiny, while addressing PFOA and PFOS, two of the best-studied PFAS with well-documented health impacts.”
The opt-in process to gain additional time would require drinking water systems to meet agency proposed criteria, while systems that do not meet the criteria or don’t seek an extension will need to meet the original 2029 goal.
Also this week, EPA announced more than $10 billion would be made available to address PFAS, through a $4 million revolving fund and a $6.5 million low-interest loan program. EPA also announced $1 billion directly to states to address PFAS in drinking water, including a $37.4 million award to Florida through the Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities (EC-SDC) grant.
EPA alleges that the Biden administration failed to follow the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act when its EPA proposed rules for its PFAS enforcement. EPA in January 2025 withdrew those rules as one of Zeldin’s first actions as Administrator. The two proposed rules
The announcement was made in Washington D.C., by Zeldin, Kennedy, industry leaders and EPA Office of Water Assistant Administrator Jessica Kramer, the agency’s PFAS lead.
“The message today is that EPA is delivering real solutions to reduce PFAS exposure for Americans,” said Kramer, the former Florida Department of Environmental Protection Deputy Secretary for Regulatory Programs. “Today’s announcement, combined with the agency’s recently announced PFAS OUT strategy, and a forthcoming proposed rule to address PFAS before it is discharged to our waterways, make that clear.”
