White House launches review of PFAS wastewater proposal

By Ellie Borst | 06/17/2024 01:31 PM EDT

The proposed rule would be the first to target “forever chemical” discharges from chemical and plastic plants.

Effluent from the Niagara Falls Wastewater Treatment Plant is discharged into the Niagara River near the American Falls.

Effluent from the Niagara Falls Wastewater Treatment Plant is discharged into the Niagara River near the American Falls in New York. David Duprey/AP

The Biden administration is one step closer to proposing the first-ever limits on “forever chemicals” in wastewater and sewage, a long-awaited promise that would prevent manufacturers from dumping unsafe quantities of PFAS into nearby waters.

The Office of Management and Budget on Friday received EPA’s proposed rule on PFAS-laden liquid discharges from organic chemicals, plastics and synthetic fiber manufacturers.

It’s the latest step in EPA’s PFAS effluent guidelines plan, which laid out regulatory goals for limiting the substances in landfill leachate and industrial facilities in metal finishing, meat and poultry, textiles, and steam electric power generation.

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Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances is an umbrella term for thousands of widely used chemicals, with some of the most notorious substances having ties to serious illnesses such as cancer.

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