EPA Takes Two Major Steps Under PFAS Action Plan

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent two actions that address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to the Office of Management and Budget for interagency review on September 25.

The agency’s first action is an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking that would allow the public to provide input on adding PFAS to the Toxics Release Inventory toxic chemical list. The second action is a supplemental proposal to ensure that certain persistent long-chain PFAS chemicals cannot be imported into the U.S. without notification and review by EPA under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), as amended by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act in 2016. EPA has the authority to deny such “significant new use requests” under TSCA.

“Today’s announcement is just one of the many ways we are delivering on the PFAS Action Plan—the most comprehensive, multimedia research and risk communication plan ever issued by the agency to address an emerging chemical of concern,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler in a statement. “These actions are intended to provide the public with more information on PFAS in the environment and to ensure that EPA receives notice of any plan to import certain persistent long-chain PFAS into the country, further protecting all Americans.”

Both actions are critical steps in EPA’s efforts to help provide communities with additional information about PFAS chemicals. EPA said it “looks forward to working with its federal partners throughout the interagency review process and will issue the proposals after that process is complete.”