Administrator Zeldin Announces Major EPA Actions to Combat PFAS Contamination
On April 28, 2025, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced a comprehensive plan to address PFAS contamination. Key initiatives include developing effluent limitations guidelines for PFAS manufacturers and metal finishers, enhancing testing methods, and adding PFAS to the Toxic Release Inventory. The EPA also aims to provide annual updates to PFAS destruction and disposal guidance and to designate an agency-wide lead for PFAS efforts. These actions are part of the “Powering the Great American Comeback” initiative, focusing on clean air, land, and water for every American.
While emphasizing a “polluter pays” approach, the EPA plans to address compliance challenges related to national drinking water regulations for certain PFAS. The agency seeks to protect “passive receivers,” such as water utilities, from bearing the financial burden of contamination they did not cause. This shift may involve reevaluating previous designations of PFAS compounds as hazardous substances under the Superfund law, potentially altering liability frameworks. The EPA’s approach reflects a balance between holding polluters accountable and mitigating undue financial impacts on entities not responsible for PFAS pollution.
