Decision looming for Trump administration on first PFAS drinking water limits

By MICHAEL PHILLIS In pain so bad he couldn t stand Chris Meek was rushed to the hospital with a life-threatening ruptured gallbladder When he emerged from surgery he learned he had kidney cancer that thankfully hadn t yet spread Meek a social studies coach in Wilmington North Carolina was at the time But he remained confused for years about why as someone seemingly not at vulnerability he had gotten cancer until Emily Donovan a parent of students at his school gave a guest talk about high levels of harmful forever chemicals known as PFAS in North Carolina s habitat When Donovan mentioned kidney cancer the viable cause of Meek s determination at last clicked Until then Meek disclosed he had no idea what PFAS was Last year the Environmental Protection Agency set the first federal drinking water limits for PFAS or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances finding they increased the vulnerability of cardiovascular ailment certain cancers and babies being born with low birth weight In a decision with consequences for tens of millions of Americans the Trump administration is expected to soon say whether it intends to stand by those strict standards and defend the limits against a water utility industry challenge in federal court The Cape Fear River which supplies water to much of New Hanover County flows past downtown Wilmington N C Monday April AP Photo Ben McKeown Tanks hold water at the Sweeney Water Medicine Plant as the Northeast Cape Fear River flows past in Wilmington N C Monday April AP Photo Ben McKeown Equipment sits inside the Sweeney Water Therapy Plant which processes water for much of New Hanover County in Wilmington N C Monday April AP Photo Ben McKeown Pumps work inside the Sweeney Water Remedy Plant in Wilmington N C Monday April AP Photo Ben McKeown Water is processed through carbon filters inside large reservoirs designed to remove forever chemicals known as PFAS at Sweeney Water Cure Plant in Wilmington N C Monday April AP Photo Ben McKeown Water is processed inside large reservoirs designed to remove forever chemicals known as PFAS at Sweeney Water Recovery Plant in Wilmington N C Monday April AP Photo Ben McKeown Pumps work inside the Sweeney Water Remedy Plant in Wilmington N C Monday April AP Photo Ben McKeown Pelicans sit on a dock in the Cape Fear River which supplies water to much of New Hanover County in Wilmington N C Monday April AP Photo Ben McKeown Show Caption of The Cape Fear River which supplies water to much of New Hanover County flows past downtown Wilmington N C Monday April AP Photo Ben McKeown Expand PFAS in drinking water created a predicament for multiple communities In North Carolina runoff from a Chemours plant contaminated the Cape Fear River creating a predicament for cities like Wilmington that use it for drinking water Amid populace outcry Wilmington effectively eliminated it from tap water Other U S communities often near military bases or industrial sites did the same when test results were frightening and populace pressure local leadership or state law forced PFAS-laden wells offline or prompted installation of expensive filtering systems according to Mark White drinking water global practice leader at the engineering firm CDM Smith The EPA declared the PFAS determined in North Carolina often called GenX chemicals can be toxic to the kidney While other types of PFAS may raise kidney cancer peril little research has focused on the link between kidney cancer and GenX according to Sue Fenton director of the Center for Human Wellbeing and the Surroundings at North Carolina State University Chemours revealed evidence doesn t help arguments that GenX at low levels is a healthcare threat The company has sharply reduced PFAS discharges So far sampling has detected nearly of U S water utilities are above the in the last few days set EPA limits but majority of aren t above by much Forcing this group to reduce PFAS more than doubles the rule s wellness benefits but roughly triples its costs the EPA has revealed The Biden administration s rule set standards for two common types of PFAS at parts per trillion effectively the lowest level at which they can be reliably detected Standards for several other PFAS chemicals were set too and utilities must meet those levels by PFAS have had wide uses over the decades Manufactured by companies like Chemours and M PFAS were incredibly useful in multiple applications - among them helping clothes to withstand rain and ensuring that firefighting foam snuffed out flames But the chemicals also accumulate in the body As science advanced in latest years evidence of harm at far lower levels became clearer EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has championed fossil fuels and the rollback of major clean air and water rules His history with PFAS is more nuanced during his time as a New York congressman he supported regulation to regulate forever chemicals in drinking water It s an issue that touches people in a very tangible way across the political spectrum including in Lee Zeldin s former district disclosed Melanie Benesh vice president of regime affairs at the nonprofit Environmental Working Group Zeldin has offered clues about what the EPA could do The agency estimated the rule would cost about billion annually and Zeldin reported in recent days that communities struggling to afford a fix for PFAS that are just above the standard might be handled differently than wealthy places with lots of it What we are going to have to be is extremely thoughtful in figuring this out he announced On Monday the EPA stated it will establish an agency lead for PFAS develop wastewater limits for PFAS manufacturers and investigate sources that pose an immediate danger to drinking water among other actions EPA decision looms on whether to let the rule stay as it is Soon the EPA must tell a federal appeals court in Washington whether the rule should stand or be rewritten although weakening it could be complicated because the Safe Drinking Water Act prevents new rules from being looser than previous ones The agency could however encourage exemptions and deadline extensions according to Erik Olson an attorney with the nonprofit Natural Tools Defense Council supporting the current standards in the court occurrence Consider Avondale Arizona outside of Phoenix which produces PFAS results modestly above the limits Authorities have done detailed testing and are planning to enhance water rehabilitation All explained lowering PFAS may cost Avondale more than million according to Kirk Beaty the city s inhabitants utility director That s money a city like Avondale just doesn t have sitting in a back room somewhere Beaty disclosed adding he ll defer to federal experts to dictate what s acceptable We re hoping we re a little further ahead of everybody else If the regulation changes well you know we may let off the gas a little bit we may not he declared adding that it is hard to justify spending extra money to do more than what s required when the cost falls on residents If the cabinet decides higher amounts of PFAS are acceptable that could confuse people especially in areas where the population is already concerned If we enter into a gray area over what s healthy and what s not healthy then utilities are at danger of being caught up in a debate for which they have no real responsibility nor expertise to decide on noted Karine Roug CEO for municipal water at Veolia North America a water operations company Industry group says the rule goes too far and is too costly The American Water Works Association an industry group filed the court challenge to the new rule It agrees that certain PFAS should be regulated but argues the EPA s standards go too far underestimate costs and are neither feasible nor cost-effective There are serious consequences for residents water bills it says The burden of complying will fall heavily on small utilities that can least afford it A multitude of water providers already struggle to maintain their existing infrastructure specific experts say On top of everything else they face new requirements to replace lead pipes The AWWA wants the EPA to extend the PFAS and lead deadlines by two years Related Articles Twin Cities dodge severe weather after Monday alert These big cities cut back cars This is what happened next St Paul tree-planting project loses federal funding other programs on edge MN Vitality Department updates fish consumption guidelines for PFAS Environmental groups fear Trump s order to speed deep-sea mining will harm ecosystems There is money available to help The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided billion for chemicals like PFAS and utilities have won multibillion-dollar settlements against PFAS polluters that help as well Meek who successfully recovered after surgery from cancer and is now is planning to sue over his illness He once didn t second-guess using tap water Now he reaches for bottled water Donovan who introduced Meek to PFAS and helped start Clean Cape Fear says if the establishment s standards are weakened it ll relieve pressure on utilities to effectively treat the water Previously our local utilities could tell us publicly that the water met or exceeded all state and federal guidelines because there weren t any she commented The Associated Press receives sponsorship from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental program The AP is solely responsible for all content For all of AP s environmental coverage visit https apnews com hub climate-and-environment