SACRAMENTO, California — Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel introduced a bill on Wednesday to require California to set emergency rules limiting PFAS in drinking water, following similar standards set by EPA and 11 other states.
The proposal, AB 794, would allow the State Water Resources Control Board to set standards that are more stringent than the first-ever national standards finalized by former President Joe Biden’s EPA in April 2024, which are now under litigation by chemical companies and water utilities.
It would also speed up existing efforts at the State Water Resources Control Board to set maximum contaminant limits for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as “forever chemicals,” by requiring the agency to publish an emergency rule by Jan. 1, 2026, with a formal rulemaking to follow.
Federal and state policymakers alike have been increasingly going after PFAS, which break down slowly and have been found in human bodies as well as food, water and consumer products. The chemicals can lead to fertility problems, cancer and other health issues. Eleven states, mostly in the Northeast, have already set maximum levels for at least some types of PFAS in drinking water.
