The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) announced a comprehensive strategy to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). At a May news conference, USEPA leaders outlined two proposed rules to regulate PFAS in drinking water. and announced $1 billion of funding to help water systems achieve compliance.
As indicated in the summary table, the first proposed rule would maintain the 2024 National Primary Drinking Water Standards for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) at 4 parts per trillion (ppt). All monitoring and reporting deadlines under the April 2024 rule would remain in force. It would also establish an opt-in process through which eligible drinking water systems may apply for up to two additional years to reach compliance. The target compliance date for systems that apply and gain approval would be April 2031.
The second proposed rule would address legal concerns about whether the previous regulation adhered to the procedural requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) by accepting comments from the public. The SDWA requires the following sequential process:
Due to questions about whether the previous administration followed the SDWA process, USEPA proposes to rescind the regulations for four additional PFAS contaminants — perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA commonly known as GenX chemicals), and the Hazard Index covering those three plus perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS).
USEPA says the Biden-era administration combined the SDWA steps, and in doing so denied the public its opportunity to comment on the proposed regulations. Once that oversight is addressed, USEPA intends to evaluate the PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA, and PFBS for regulation following the prescribed SDWA procedure. USEPA says it is possible that any future regulatory actions for the four PFAS could be more stringent than the 2024 version.
| USEPA PFAS Proposals | STATUS |
|---|---|
| 4.0 ppt MCL PFOA | Unchanged – 2024 National Primary Drinking Water Standards. |
| 4.0 ppt MCL PFOS | Unchanged – 2024 National Primary Drinking Water Standards. |
| Monitoring & Reporting | Unchanged – 2024 National Primary Drinking Water Standards. |
| April 2031 Deadline | Updated – Eligible drinking water systems may apply for up to two additional years to reach compliance. |
| Rescinds PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA (GenX chemicals), PFBS Regulations & Hazard Index | Updated – Proposal to correct previous failure to follow the process outlined in the Safe Drinking Water Act. USEPA intends to conduct additional evaluation for regulation and begin the prescribed SDWA process. |
A virtual public hearing is scheduled on July 7, 2026. The public is invited to provide USEPA with verbal comments on the proposed rule. During the hearing, the USEPA will present information and receive comments from the public. Registration to attend and/or provide verbal comment during the hearing is required, and the last day to pre-register to provide public comment is July 1, 2026. Information and registration for the public hearing is available here. The USEPA says it will post an agenda and list of pre-registered public commenters to this website no later than July 6, 2026. For questions related to the public hearing, please contact PFASNPDWR@epa.gov. Written comments on the proposed rule are being accepted via the Federal Register until July 20, 2026.
In addition to the regulatory announcements, USEPA announced nearly $1 billion to help communities address PFAS and other emerging contaminants, with a focus on small and rural systems.
Learn about the grant funding and how much each state will receive in the latest edition of the AE2S Nexus e-newsletter, The Source.