EPA expected to revise portions of PFAS drinking water rule

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to propose revisions to portions of the federal PFAS drinking water rule finalized under the Biden administration, according to reporting from the Assoicated Press. The revisions include delaying compliance deadlines and rescinding limits for several less common compounds.

According to comments made by Jessica Kramer at a water conference in Washington, D.C., the agency plans to maintain the current 4 parts-per-trillion standards for PFOA and PFOS — the two most widely studied PFAS compounds — while extending the compliance deadline for utilities to 2031.

The agency is also expected to rescind and reconsider limits for several other PFAS compounds, including GenX substances, as well as standards for certain PFAS mixtures. EPA officials said the changes are intended to address concerns that portions of the original rulemaking process did not fully comply with requirements under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

“We need drinking water rules that are legally defensible,” Kramer said during the conference. “We need drinking water regulations that are not susceptible to legal challenge because the explicit process in the Safe Drinking Water Act wasn’t followed.”

The proposed revisions would reopen formal rulemaking and public comment processes for the affected contaminants. EPA officials have said the agency remains committed to helping utilities address PFAS contamination through technical assistance and federal funding support.

The original PFAS drinking water standards, finalized in 2024, marked the first nationwide limits for the chemicals, which have been linked to health concerns including certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, and developmental impacts.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin previously described the proposed compliance extension as “common-sense flexibility,” particularly for smaller and rural water systems facing costly treatment upgrades.

Environmental groups, however, have raised concerns about weakening portions of the rule. Critics argue that regulating multiple PFAS compounds together can improve overall removal of harmful contaminants from drinking water and contend that federal law limits EPA’s ability to issue weaker standards once regulations are in place.

The proposal is expected to enter a public comment period before any changes are finalized.