Trump Tables PFAS Rule, Causing Concern

It has been a busy first week in office for President Donald Trump, who has wasted no time in issuing executive orders and reversing Biden administration actions. Among these actions was an executive order withdrawing from any U.S. EPA regulations that were still under review. Included in these regulations was the EPA’s proposed limits on PFAS in wastewater.
Widely known as “forever chemicals,” PFAS have been at top of mind for many months. In April of 2024, the EPA officially finalized the first-ever national drinking water standard to address PFAS in drinking water. The final rule aimed to “reduce PFAS exposure for approximately 100 million people, prevent thousands of deaths, and reduce tens of thousands of serious illnesses,” according to the EPA’s press release.
While it was widely reported that the aforementioned executive order from Trump would eliminate the established rules for PFAS in drinking water, those rules remain untouched for now. The executive order is instead aimed at the proposal to limit PFAS in industrial wastewater, which had not yet been approved by the time Trump took office.
Rep. Lee Zeldin of New York was confirmed on January 29, 2025, to be the administrator of the EPA. PFAS were among the issues that Zeldin highlighted in his confirmation hearing, saying that addressing these forever chemicals would be a “top priority,” per Roll Call.
Though the specific drinking water rules remain untouched, this doesn’t necessarily mean that Trump’s withdrawal from the wastewater regulations will be inconsequential. Some water districts said that "the financial burden will fall on the public if corporate regulations are halted, since suppliers would have to charge more to have PFAS filtered from drinking water," per CBS News.
For now, it remains to be seen how President Trump will approach PFAS limits in wastewater. Similarly, time will tell if a lack of these limits will put a heavier burden on drinking water treatment plants in removing PFAS. Regardless, PFAS limits in drinking water remain in place, and utilities have three years to report on the level of PFAS measured in their drinking water.