Seventeen AGs Sent Comments on EPA’s PFAS Standards for Drinking Water

MAY 30, 2023

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul led a coalition of 17 attorneys general in sending comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) responding to the agency’s proposed drinking water standards for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”). PFAS are a class of harmful chemicals that are often found in consumer products and are known as “forever chemicals” for their resistance to breaking down in the human body or the environment. EPA’s proposed rule would set maximum contaminant levels for six types of PFAS. The AGs’ comments echoed EPA’s concern about the health harms of PFAS present in drinking water and explained why EPA has the authority to set PFAS standards for drinking water. The AGs urged the agency to provide resources and support to public water systems to protect ratepayers from having to shoulder the cost of addressing PFAS contamination. The AGs called on EPA to quickly issue the final rule given the toxicity and scope of the problem, and also urged EPA to pass additional drinking water standards for other types of PFAS, as well as for PFAS as an entire class.