EPA to take actions against "forever chemical" pollution, holding polluters accountable

SAN DIEGO, CA - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin said that the federal government is taking several actions to address per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are also known as "forever chemicals" because they take so long to break down.

According to The Epoch Times, PFAS substances have been found in water, air, and soil, and have also been detected in humans and animals. On its website, EPA states, "There are thousands of PFAS chemicals and they are found in many different consumer, commercial, and industrial products. This makes it challenging to study and assess the potential human health and environmental risks."

The new steps the federal government is taking was announced on April 29th and are centered around three principles: "strengthening the science, fulfilling statutory obligations and enhancing communication, and building partnerships." 

These include, but are not limited to, designating a PFAS agency lead, implementing a testing strategy under the Toxic Substances Control Act, addressing information gaps where not all of the substances can be controlled and measured, and providing more updates to the EPA's PFAS destruction and disposal guidance.

The actions also include developing limitation guidance for PFAS manufacturers and meta finishers, enforcing the Clean Water Act on the use of PFAS chemicals, and establishing a clear liability framework. The EPA will also develop partnerships at the state level to assess PFAS contamination risks, advance cleanup efforts were PFAS contamination is impacting the drinking water, and review and evaluate pending air emission petitions.

In a statement, Zeldin said, "I have long been concerned about PFAS and the efforts to help states and communities dealing with legacy contamination in their backyards. With today's announcement, we are tackling PFAS from all of EPA's program offices, advancing research and testing, stopping PFAS from getting into drinking water systems, holding polluters accountable, and providing certainty for passive receivers. This is just a start of the work we will do on PFAS to ensure Americans have the cleanest air, land, and water."

Zeldin's efforts follow the EPA's PFAS-focused work during the first Trump administration, which included the launch of the PFAS Action Plan in 2019. That worked to identify short-term solutions as well as long-term strategies to empower states, tribes, and local communities to address PFAS at the source to ensure safe drinking water.

The EPA notes that the latest efforts are in line with Zeldin's "Powering the Great American Comeback Initiative" by advancing "Pillar 1: Clear Air, Land, and Water for Every American, and Pillar 3: Permitting Reform, Cooperative Federalism, and Cross-Agency Partnership."

This also follows actions undertaken by the Biden administration, which sought to protect drinking water and land from PFAS contamination and updated the agency's national PFAS testing strategy.