The Trump administration has proposed rolling back Biden administration limits targeting “forever chemicals” in drinking water amid growing pressure from the Make America Health Again movement.
The Environmental Protection Agency, alongside the Department of Health and Human Services, on Monday announced two new rules to address PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals” in drinking water.
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PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are often called “forever chemicals” because they don’t easily break down in the environment. There are thousands of PFAS components, which can be found in consumer products such as clothing, kitchenware, cosmetics, and more.
The EPA has proposed revisiting and rescinding some of the Biden administration’s limits in the Safe Drinking Water Act on four types of less common PFAS: perfluorohexane sulfonic acid, perfluorononanoic acid, hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (commonly referred to as GenX chemicals), and perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS).
The proposals come as the EPA and HHS have faced backlash from MAHA advocates to urgently address environmental health issues. For instance, in early December, more than 2,800 people signed a petition urging the White House to fire Lee Zeldin, head of the EPA.
The two agencies last month also proposed listing microplastics and pharmaceuticals, such as antidepressants, as priority contaminants in the EPA’s draft of the Sixth Contaminant Candidate List on drinking water.
The Biden administration in April 2024 established the first-ever limits on PFAS in drinking water. The administration, at the time, argued that increased exposure to these chemicals could raise the risk of certain cancers, liver and heart impacts, and damage to children’s development.
However, the Trump EPA claimed that the previous administration failed to follow statutory requirements when setting limits on the four PFAS components. If the proposed rule is finalized, it would rescind drinking water regulations on the four components. After issuing the final action, the agency will reevaluate these PFAS chemicals for regulation.
“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,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement.
“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,” Lee said. “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 EPA plans to maintain the Biden administration limits on two common types of PFAS, referred to as perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid. The agency, however, is proposing to provide water systems an additional two years, until 2031, to meet compliance requirements. Drinking water systems would need to seek an extension and meet specific requirements in the EPA final rule.
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“This design ensures that systems prepared to meet 2029 are not slowed down, while systems facing legitimate implementation hurdles have a transparent, accountable path to additional time,” the agency wrote in its press release.
The agency also announced $1 billion in grant funding to address PFAS in drinking water through the Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities Grant.
