EPA proposes to gut limits on toxic PFAS in drinking water, abandoning communities across the country

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to withdraw national drinking water standards for several toxic PFAS chemicals and delay others is a stunning reversal of family health protections, according to the Southern Environmental Law Center. This action threatens the health and safety of millions of Americans who suffer from harmful forever chemicals in drinking water.

“By abandoning and delaying enforceable limits on dangerous industrial chemicals like GenX and other PFAS, the agency is putting polluters’ profits over people and sending a clear message that corporate interests matter more than human lives,” said Kelly Moser, senior attorney and water program leader at the Southern Environmental Law Center. “This reversal is a slap in the face to every community that has fought for clean drinking water. EPA’s decision isn’t grounded in science or law—it’s a political choice that endangers families throughout America.”

EPA proposes to scrap existing limits on certain PFAS—GenX, PFNA, PFHxS, and PFBS—in drinking water, a key tool for protecting people from mixtures of the toxic chemicals. It also seeks to offer utilities the choice of further delaying limits on PFOA and PFOS despite how dangerous these chemicals are. The current standards are based on extensive scientific evidence linking PFAS exposure to cancer, liver disease, harm to children, infants, and pregnant women, heart attacks and strokes, and other serious health issues. EPA’s announced rollback comes despite overwhelming public support for strong PFAS protections and years of advocacy from harmed communities.

The Cape Fear River Basin in North Carolina, home to thousands of families and the site of widespread PFAS contamination from Chemours’ Fayetteville Works facility, stands to be among the hardest hit by EPA’s rollback. SELC and Cape Fear River Watch sued Chemours to stop its PFAS pollution of the drinking water source for more than 500,000 North Carolinians. Local drinking water utilities have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in treating these chemicals. A repeal of these standards will put a greater burden on taxpayers and ratepayers in North Carolina and throughout the country.

Despite its contamination, Administrator Zeldin recently selected two Chemours executives to be on EPA’s Science Advisory Board. Chemours, the American Chemistry Council, and other industry groups are seeking to overturn the standards in court to avoid financial responsibility for the costs of water treatment—costs that utilities are incurring largely because of PFAS contamination caused by industrial discharges into people’s drinking water sources.

EPA’s proposed actions represent a devastating setback for communities already burdened by contaminated water. The cumulative impact of weakening these protections would be felt for generations.

EPA will accept public comments on the proposed rules for 60 days and hold a virtual public hearing on July 7, 2026, for which people can register here to provide verbal comments on both of the proposed rules to EPA. Written comments can be submitted at www.regulations.gov under Docket ID: EPA-HQ-OW-2025-0654 and Docket ID: EPA-HQ-OW-2025-1742.

PFAS are a class of thousands of human-made chemicals that include PFOA, PFOS, and GenX, and are associated with serious health harms. These contaminants are known as forever chemicals—they do not dissipate, dissolve, or degrade but stay in water, soil, and our bodies. PFAS are not removed by conventional water treatment, so it is critical that industries like Chemours treat for them to keep them out of drinking water sources in the first place.