EPA Launches New Studies and Data Collection Efforts to Better Protect Communities from PFAS

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published for public comment its plan for studying and developing technology-based PFAS limits on industrial wastewater discharges. The plan is a key action under the agency’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap as it considers rulemaking efforts to protect communities from forever chemicals in local waterways and supports the Biden Cancer Moonshot’s efforts to reduce Americans’ exposure to cancer-causing chemicals.

EPA is committed to working with state partners to develop strong national rules to reduce the presence of forever chemicals in our waterways. That means we must work to develop our collective understanding about PFAS discharges from industry. From there, we can better innovate and implement durable treatment solutions that protect our communities over the long run.

Bruno Pigott, EPA Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water

Preliminary Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 16 (Preliminary Plan 16) announces the agency’s intent to initiate detailed studies of wastewater pollution discharges and their treatment potential for several industrial categories.

EPA has determined that it needs to collect additional data and information from facilities in the Battery Manufacturing Category, the Centralised Waste Treatment Category, the Oil and Gas Extraction Category, as well as from PFAS processors (industrial facilities engaged in processing PFAS into commercial products). The goal of these studies is to enable the agency to make informed, data-driven decisions on the need for new rulemakings to establish revised effluent limitations guidelines. Any future rulemakings developed as a result of these studies would be based on the best available science and designed to stop PFAS contamination at the source, safeguarding community and environmental health.

With the announcement of this preliminary plan in the Federal Register, EPA is opening a 30-day public comment period. To submit a written comment, visit EPA’s Preliminary Effluent Guidelines Program Plan webpage for more information.

Background
Effluent limitations guidelines (ELGs) are national, technology-based regulations developed to control industrial wastewater discharges to surface waters and into publicly owned treatment works. ELGs are intended to represent the greatest pollutant reductions through technology that are economically achievable for an industry. EPA prepares ELG Program Plans after public review and comment on a preliminary plan, pursuant to Clean Water Act Section 304(m).

ELG Programme Plans provide a description of the agency’s annual review of ELGs and pretreatment standards, consistent with the Act. Based on these reviews, EPA develops plans to identify any new or existing industrial categories selected for ELG or pretreatment standards rulemakings and to provide a schedule for such rulemakings. In addition, ELG plans present any new or existing categories of industry selected for further review and analysis.