U.S. EPA Embraces Prior Administration's PFAS Drinking Water Proposals

On February 22, 2021, U.S. EPA announced that it was moving forward with implementation of several regulatory proposals issued in the waning days of the Trump Administration.  First, U.S. EPA announced that it was finalizing its regulatory determination under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) for perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).  A regulatory determination is the first regulatory step in setting a maximum contaminant level (MCL) for these contaminants.  The final regulatory determination, signed by Acting EPA Administrator Jane Nishida, reached the same conclusions as had been reached by former EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler-(1) that these contaminants may have an adverse effect on the human health; (2) that the contaminants are known to be present in public water systems at a sufficient frequency and at levels that pose public health concerns; and (3) that regulation of these contaminants presents a meaningful opportunity to