USEPA Drills Down On Industry-Specific PFAS Issues And Progresses To Broader PFAS Regulation

For some time now, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has been evaluating several industrial point sources for discharges of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in wastewater and leachate. On January 31, 2023, USEPA published in the Federal Register its Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 15 (Plan 15), which presents preliminary conclusions from the agency's ongoing Multi-Industry PFAS Study. Among other things, Plan 15 aggregates USEPA's PFAS data and analyses, proposes additional PFAS studies, and presents ongoing rulemakings on PFAS effluent limitations guidelines and pretreatment standards (ELGs). The agency also offers strategies to reduce PFAS discharges from industrial sources and in landfill leachate. Members of the industries addressed in Plan 15 should closely monitor the progress of USEPA's PFAS studies and rulemakings, as future regulation is all but guaranteed.