"And in North Carolina, we moved forward. "So there is a real sense of urgency," he added. "I spent time talking to mothers who were concerned about potential long-term impacts to their children, caregivers who were wondering if terminal illnesses of their loved ones were connected" to the PFAS release from the Fayetteville Works plant. "I spent time with families in their communities, talking to them about the fears and worries that they had," said Regan, who announced the EPA actions Monday at a news conference in Raleigh. Michael Regan sworn in as EPA chief 00:41Īs North Carolina's top environmental official, Regan led negotiations that resulted in the cleanup of the Cape Fear River, which has been dangerously contaminated by PFAS industrial compounds that were released for decades from a manufacturing plant run by a spinoff of chemical giant DuPont. While Regan welcomes congressional action, he said the EPA has authority to act on its own. Legislation passed by the House would set a national drinking water standard for PFAS and direct the EPA to develop discharge limits for a range of industries suspected of releasing PFAS into the water. "Communities living downwind and downstream of these polluters have waited decades for action." But we must move even faster to turn off the tap of PFAS pollution by industry," Scott Faber, the group's senior vice president for government affairs, said in a statement. "After more than two decades of delay, it's good news that EPA is finally starting to act.
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The Environmental Working Group, which advocates for stronger regulation of chemicals, has identified nearly 30,000 industrial sites nationwide that it says are using, or are suspected of using, PFAS. The chemical bonds are so strong that they don't degrade or do so only slowly in the environment and remain in a person's bloodstream indefinitely. PFAS is short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which are used in nonstick frying pans, water-repellent sports gear, stain-resistant rugs and countless other consumer products.
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The regulatory strategy comes as Congress considers wide-ranging legislation to set a national drinking water standard for certain PFAS and clean up contaminated sites across the country, including military bases where high rates of PFAS have been discovered.
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The actions will make it easier for the EPA to ensure that cleanups are conducted safely and that "the polluter pays for that,″ Regan said. "We're going to move as quickly as possible to set these safe drinking water limits," he said. Officials expect a proposed rule on PFAS in drinking water by 2023, Regan said. The agency also is moving to designate PFAS as hazardous substances under what's called Superfund law that allows the EPA to force companies responsible for the contamination to pay for the cleanup work or do it themselves. Under the strategy, the EPA will move to set aggressive limits for PFAS in drinking water under the Safe Drinking Water Act and will require PFAS manufacturers to report on how toxic their products are. PFAS, called "forever chemicals" because they last so long in the environment, have been associated with serious health conditions, including cancer and reduced birth weight. "We're going to use every tool in our toolbox to restrict human exposure to these toxic chemicals." "This is a bold strategy that starts with immediate action" and includes additional steps "that will carry through this first term" of President Joe Biden, Regan told the Associated Press.