Press Release: 6/2/2026
EPA announces PFAS regulation plans, changes
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on May 18 announced plans to move forward with regulatory changes to federal drinking water regulations for certain PFAS chemicals.
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are chemicals that are considered hazardous to human health, remain in the environment for a very long time — hence the shorthand “forever chemicals” — and are resistant to traditional contaminant remediation measures. PFAS have been commonly used in manufacturing because of their stain-resistant, water-resistant, and non-stick qualities.
In May of last year, the EPA announced its intention to revisit drinking water regulations finalized under the Biden administration. Now, the EPA has proposed two rule changes.
PFOA and PFOS compliance extension
The EPA said it plans to uphold the federal drinking water Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). As established in the 2024 final drinking water regulations, the MCLs for PFOA and PFOS are 4.0 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOA, and 4.0 ppt for PFOS.
These levels represent the enforceable level of pollution for any public drinking water system. Public water systems with test samples scoring above the limits for either chemical, on a running annual average, would need to take action to lower the level to below 4.0 ppt.
The original regulation gave public water districts nationwide until April of 2029 to implement solutions to reduce PFAS levels below the threshold. The proposed extension rule would give public water systems until April of 2031 to comply with the enforceable limits, if they provide required information to the EPA. (See more in the extension rule FAQ.)
Written comments on the rule will be accepted through July 20. (See the public docket and submitted comments on the corresponding website or search Docket ID: EPA-HQ-OW-2025-1742 on www.regulations.gov.)
PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA and Hazard Index Mixtures
The EPA took a different approach when considering the other regulations finalized in 2024 that tackle not only other PFAS chemicals individually, but also mixtures of certain PFAS chemicals.
The EPA’s rulemaking would rescind individual regulations and maximum contaminant level goals on PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA (commonly known as GenX Chemicals). The rescission would include the hazard index for mixtures containing two or more of PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA and PFBS.
The EPA has stated that the rescission is necessary because the regulatory determinations promulgated by the Biden administration were unlawful. The EPA also stated that the change is likely to reduce expected national compliance costs.
Written comments on the rescission will be accepted through July 20. (See the public docket and submitted comments on the corresponding website, or search Docket ID: EPA-HQ-OW-2025-0654 on www.regulations.gov.)
Public hearing and resources
A virtual hearing on both proposed rules will be held on July 7 at 11 a.m. More information and registration details are available online.
The EPA’s PFAS webpage has PFAS resources, including webinar recordings, a communications toolkit, and technical information for water systems.