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Trump administration stalls PFAS wastewater survey, former officials say
A wastewater treatment plants survey was submitted to the White House nearly two years ago for approval, far longer than the typical review timeline.
The Trump administration has stalled a nationwide PFAS wastewater survey that would help regulators determine which industries are discharging the harmful forever chemicals into treatment systems, according to two former EPA officials involved in developing the study, as described by Insurance Journal.
A public notice shows the first-of-its-kind survey of wastewater treatment plants was submitted to the White House Office of Management and Budget for approval in October 2024, nearly two years after it was prepared during the Biden administration.
Robert Wood, a former director in the EPA’s Office of Water, said a nationwide survey of hundreds of plants could help identify PFAS sources and inform new regulations. He noted that PFAS are widespread, difficult to remove, and wastewater treatment plants are typically not equipped to separate the chemicals before they re-enter rivers and soil.
Insurance Journal reports that Stuart Shapiro, a former OMB staffer, said OMB reviews normally take around 60 days and questioned whether the approval process is being delayed despite the administration’s stated intent to combat PFAS. The piece also notes the administration has kept some Biden-era drinking water limits on common PFAS types while delaying the most significant additional limits and restarting parts of the wastewater regulatory process.