Trump wants to weaken protections against forever chemicals in drinking water

The Trump administration plans to weaken drinking water bases aimed at protecting Americans from “chemicals to forever” that have been linked to cancer, reproductive risks, liver damage and other health issues.

Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ended the first federal drinking water boundaries legally on the most common types of chemicals. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency announced the face. The agency now wants to exclude several types of chemicals from the base, including the so -called Genx materials that initially aim to replace old versions of chemicals forever, but it ended in creating new concerns. He also suggested expanding the deadlines for compliance with the two most prevalent chemicals forever, and says it will create a “frame” for more exemptions.

Health and environmental defenders criticized the proposed exceptions and delaying enforcement as a threat to the Americans. “Today’s decision is a shameful and dangerous surrender to the pressure of industry that would allow continuous pollution of drinking water,” said Marie Grant, director of the water program on the press program. “This will cost life.”

Biden era standards have set limits for only five types of chemicals used widely: PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFHXs, and HFPO-DA (also known as “Genx Chemicals”), as well as mixtures of many chemicals, including sulfony acid pepperbutan (PFBS), found in Wax Wax, Carpeting.

Now, it is clear that the agency does not want to apply the current chemical rules forever for drinking water.

The date of the initial compliance with these rules was 2029. The Environmental Protection Agency now says it only plans to maintain the borders of PFOA and PFOS, and transfer the deadline for compliance to 2031 to relieve pressure on small water systems. As their name suggests, it is difficult to destroy chemicals forever and the Trump administration says its proposal will save money.

“The decision to participate provides this additional time that water system managers need to determine reasonable prices and make sure they are on a sustainable way to comply,” Matthew Holmes, CEO of the National Rural Association in a press release agency.

“We are on our way to support the agency’s national standards to protect Americans from PFOA and PFOS in their waters. Meanwhile, we will work to provide flexibility in the proper category in the form of additional time to comply,” Lee Zilden, Director of the Environmental Protection Agency said in a press statement. The agency says it will make a more detailed proposal “this fall”, with the aim of completing the base in the spring of 2026.