Pappas Applauds EPA Decision to Accelerate PFAS Timelines, Continues Call for Further EPA Action to Regulate PFAS Discharges

Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the agency's Strategic Roadmap to confront PFAS contamination nationwide, including timelines to set national drinking water standards and timelines for some action on Effluent Guideline Limitations under the Clean Water Act for nine industrial categories. Alongside the release of their Strategic Roadmap, the agency is announcing a new national testing strategy that requires PFAS manufacturers to provide the agency with toxicity data and information on categories of PFAS chemicals.

"It is welcome news that the EPA has announced they will accelerate their efforts to establish nationwide drinking water standards for PFAS, address industrial discharges of PFAS, and establish a national testing strategy," said Congressman Chris Pappas. "While these are important steps forward, I continue to urge the EPA to issue regulations on the use of PFAS for known industries that are actively discharging these forever chemicals. If we are going to protect our constituents from these toxic chemicals, we need to move as quickly as possible. I'm committed to working alongside the EPA to ensure all of our communities have access to clean, safe drinking water."

Currently there are no EPA regulations limiting how much PFAS polluters can discharge into the environment. This means that the companies that manufacture products containing PFAS chemicals are able to release PFAS into federally regulated waters unchecked, endangering public health and requiring costly clean-up and treatment efforts to protect drinking water sources. The burden of costly clean-up efforts are often placed on the communities themselves, rather than on the companies responsible for the contamination. Congressman Pappas's Clean Water Standards for PFAS Act regulates PFAS under the Clean Water Act in order to help stop toxic levels of PFAS from entering water sources in the first place.

Specifically, Congressman Pappas's Clean Water Standards for PFAS Act would do the following:

• Require the EPA to develop water quality criteria under the Clean Water Act for all measurable PFAS or classes of PFAS within three years, and develop effluent limitations guidelines and standards for all measurable PFAS or classes of PFAS within four years. This includes establishing pre-treatment standards to prevent the introduction of PFAS into publicly-owned water treatment facilities, stopping PFAS at the source before it gets into the municipal water system.
• Identify nine priority industry categories that EPA must establish standards for including: Organic Chemicals, Plastics and Synthetic Fibers (OCPSF); Pulp, paper, and paperboard; Textile mills; Electroplating; Metal finishing; Leather tanning and finishing; Paint formulating; Electrical and electrical components; and Plastics molding and forming.
• Authorize $200 million per year over five years for grants to assist Publicly Owned Treatment Works with implementing pretreatment standards.