EPA under scrutiny after withdrawing guidances on PFAS Pollution

CHAPEL HILL, NC (WWAY) — The Environmental Protection Agency has withdrawn guidance that encouraged states and wastewater utilities to use existing Clean Water Act authorities to address PFAS pollution.

The guidance was intended to help prevent PFAS from entering drinking water sources, rivers and communities. The EPA removed the guidance from its website following a memo signed by Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water Jessica Kramer.

The Southern Environmental Law Center criticized the decision, saying the guidance helped states and utilities address PFAS pollution at its source.

The organization said withdrawing the guidance does not change existing legal requirements under the Clean Water Act. It said states and wastewater treatment plants can still use the law to address PFAS discharges before they reach sewage sludge, farmland, rivers and drinking water supplies.

PFAS are a group of thousands of human-made chemicals that include PFOA, PFOS and GenX. The chemicals can persist in the environment and have been associated with health concerns.

The Southern Environmental Law Center also cited other recent EPA actions involving PFAS, including changes to an assessment of PFAS in sewage sludge and actions involving drinking water standards. Those claims were made by the organization and were not independently verified in the provided release.