Trump’s EPA Rolls Back Protections Against PFAS in Drinking Water

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday proposed dropping limits for four cancer-linked “forever chemicals” in drinking water established during the Biden administration, saying the changes were rushed and not in compliance with federal law.

At the same time, the EPA said it is earmarking nearly $1 billion in grant funding for communities to tackle per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other drinking water contaminants that plague water systems around the country. The agency touted the proposed changes as “reaffirming its commitment” to the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement.

“EPA’s actions today take important steps to reduce exposure, strengthen drinking water protections, and support communities as we work to address environmental contributors to chronic disease and advance the Make America Healthy Again agenda,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. in a statement.

The moves by Trump’s EPA come after the agency in 2024 set limits on six types of PFAS — PFOA, PFOS, GenX, PFBS, PFNA and PFHxS — which have been linked to a variety of health harms, including cancer, heart problems and birth defects. The drinking water limits were considered landmark regulations after years of research and testing found PFAS chemicals are widespread in Americans’ drinking water.

In announcing that the agency is now proposing to rescind the limits for four of the chemicals — GenX, PFBS, PFNA and PFHxS — the EPA alleged that the Biden administration failed to follow the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act by not allowing for proper public comment.

“The Biden administration cut corners and failed to follow the law,” EPA administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement. “We are fixing that error with standards water systems can actually implement and that will hold up to scrutiny, while addressing PFOA and PFOS, two of the best-studied PFAS with well-documented health impacts.”

The EPA will leave in place the limits for PFOA and PFOS, chemicals known to be particularly harmful, but will allow some water utilities to apply to extend their deadline for compliance with the limits from 2029 to 2031.

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PFOA has been classified as “carcinogenic to humans” and PFOS as “possibly carcinogenic to humans,” respectively, by an international cancer research group.

For the other four types of PFAS, the EPA said it plans to rescind the rule and open it up for public comment. The agency would then re-examine the chemicals for regulation, saying “it is possible that the result could be more stringent requirements addressing these PFAS in drinking water.”

Zeldin said the changes are grounded in “gold-standard science.”

The Biden administration had estimated the limits would reduce PFAS in the drinking water of more than 100 million Americans and would prevent tens of thousands of serious illnesses. Health and environmental groups were quick to criticize the announcement by Zeldin as putting Americans’ lives at risk.

“There’s nothing gold-standard about tearing down the science-based protections that help keep our drinking water safe. PFAS are highly toxic, even at very low levels, and are linked to liver damage, cancers and other health problems for children and pregnant women,” Maria Doa, senior director, chemicals policy at the Environmental Defense Fund, said in a statement.

Communities across the US are struggling to cope with impending federal requirements for eradicating two toxic PFAS chemicals from their drinking water systems, utility leaders said at a water policy conference this week.

A 2025 study by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group found most utilities lack advanced filtration systems for protecting the public from PFAS and other harmful contaminants in drinking water, with small, rural communities at the greatest disadvantage.

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