The Environmental Protection Agency said on Wednesday it plans to weaken some of the “Eternal chemicals“In drinking water finalized last year, two common standards are maintained simultaneously.

The Byton administration sets PFA's first federal drinking water restrictions, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, and found that they increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, with some cancers and babies born at lower weight. These restrictions are expected to reduce PFA levels in drinking water for millions of people.

Commonly known as "forever chemicals" PFA Almost everywhere - in the air, water and soil - It can take thousands of years to decompose in the environment.

The agency will limit three types of PFA, including so-called GENX substances found in North Carolina, and reconsider mixtures of several types of PFAs.

Biden's rules for dosing also set standard standards for two common PFAs, called PFOA and PFO, at 4 servings per trillion, which is actually the lowest level reliably detected. The EPA will keep these standards in place, but for two more years (until 2031) to adhere to chemicals and treat these standards.

"We are following the agency's standards for protecting Americans from PFOA and PFO in the water nationwide. At the same time, we will work to provide common sense flexibility in the form of additional compliance," said EPA administrator Lee Zeldin.

The development was first reported by The Washington Post.

It seems that few utilities will be affected by the limitations of some new PFA types. So far, sampling has found that nearly 12% of U.S. hydrographs exceed Biden administration restrictions. However, the vast majority of utilities face the problem of PFOA or PFO.

Health advocacy appreciates the Biden administration’s strict restrictions. But water utility questioned the rule, saying that the treatment system is expensive to install and customers will eventually pay more for the water. Utilities sued EPA.

The EPA's actions match some of the arguments in the lawsuit. They believe that the EPA lacks the power to regulate PFA mixing and said the agency does not properly support the restrictions of several newer types of PFAs that have now been revoked. They also requested the two-year extension now awarded.

Erik Olson, senior director of health strategy for the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council, said the move was illegal. The Safe Water Drinking Act gives EPA the power to limit pollutants in drinking water, including a provision designed to prevent the new provision from being looser than previous provisions.

"With the pen strokes, the EPA mocked the Trump administration's commitment to providing Americans with clean water," Olson said.

President Trump seeks fewer environmental rules and more oil and gas development. arrive Implementation of the agenda by declaring a large scale Regulatory rollback. EPA plan to relax regulations Greenhouse gas emissionsamong many other clean air and water rules, cleaning standards for coal-fired plant waste and vehicle emission restrictions.

Zeldin and PFA's history is even more subtle. During his tenure as a member of New York Congress, he supported legislation to regulate chemicals forever.

By Chemours and 3mPFA is very useful in many applications - where, helps clothes to withstand rain and ensures Fire foam Extinguished the flames. But chemicals also accumulate in the body. With the development of science in recent years, the evidence for lower levels of harm has become clearer.

The Biden-era EPA estimates that the rule is implemented about $1.5 billion a year. The Hydropower Association says expensive rules, and recent tasks Replace harmful lead pipeswill raise residents’ bills and be the hardest in small communities with few resources.

The Biden administration is indeed working to address the cost issue. The bipartisan infrastructure law, which provides $9 billion in bonuses for chemicals like PFA and utilities, has won billions of dollars in settlements against PFAS polluters, will help.

Some utilities were surprised to find that they were beyond their limits.

"This gives water experts more time to deal with the bad time we know, and we will need more time. Some utilities are just finding out where they are now, and for 2029, it's too late."

But what utilities really want is higher limits on PFOA and PFO, according to Mark White, head of drinking water global practice at engineering firm CDM Smith. He suspects that the utility industry will continue to sue the restrictions. Dissatisfied environmental groups may also raise challenges.

Utilities may not have to install treatments, and utility companies will be very effective if they only need to focus on two types of older PFAs, said Melanie Benesh, vice president of government affairs at the nonprofit environmental task force.

“You really reduce the amount of things that utilities need to do to ensure another new generation of PFAs are captured,” she said.

When the Biden administration declared its rule, the head of the EPA went to North Carolina and was introduced by activist Emily Donovan, who said she was grateful for the first federal standard. She has long laid stricter regulations for Genx substances that pollute local rivers.

Now, EPA says it will shrink those Genx limits.

"The current government promises voters that it will 'make the U.S. healthy again,' but there is no such thing as revoking part of the PFAS drinking water standard," she said.