The U.S. EPA has rescinded its memorandum requiring states to survey water systems’ cybersecurity during sanitary surveys.
Radhika Fox, EPA assistant administrator for water, had announced the withdrawal in a letter to state drinking water administrators on October 11.
The withdrawal comes after lawsuits from both states and non-profit water associations, such as the American Water Works Association (AWWA), had interrupted the memorandum’s implementation. According to the letter, on July 12, 2023, the UY.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit had stayed the memorandum under the litigation.
The memorandum, issued on March 3, 2023, would have required states to include cybersecurity best practices in their periodic audits of water systems (called “sanitary surveys”).
