With federal agencies still falling behind on PFAS deadlines, activists seek lawmakers’ help

Nov 20, 2023

The Environmental Working Group and Safer States say the U.S. EPA is moving too slowly on setting PFAS standards. They’re pushing Congress and state legislatures to act as well.

As federal agencies continue to fall behind on meeting major PFAS regulatory deadlines, state governments are expected to introduce numerous PFAS bills that activists hope will result in quicker regulation of these "forever chemicals."

The Environmental Working Group, an environmental nonprofit, recently updated its report card that keeps track of progress made by the U.S. EPA and other federal agencies to study, monitor and regulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Since EWG first published its report card last fall, federal agencies have fallen even further behind in meeting major milestones, EWG members said during a press briefing on Thursday.

The updated report card "shows that progress has slowed or even stopped," said Scott Faber, EWG's senior vice president of government affairs. "President Biden's team has missed important deadlines, and it's our communities that are paying the price." In addition to urging federal agencies to catch up, EWG is calling on Congress to pass key PFAS-related legislation.

The U.S. EPA has said it has "accelerated the pace of research and actions" since President Biden took office, and Administrator Michael Regan has said PFAS regulations are a major priority for the agency.

Meanwhile, environmental organization Safer States released a new report on state legislatures’ role in managing PFAS. The organization anticipates numerous bills to tackle PFAS regulations related to disposal, packaging bans and other approaches in 2023.

EWG says federal agencies and the White House are experiencing numerous delays related to air and water regulations, including several to-do items relevant to the waste and recycling industry:

Activists are looking beyond the federal agencies to Congress to introduce and pass PFAS-related legislation:

Safer States’ new report highlights numerous anticipated actions at the state level in 2023. It expects new PFAS regulations will take hold more quickly at the state level than at the federal level.