Environmental Industry Updates
The Latest News on Scientific and Regulatory Updates from Merit Laboratories
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the agency’s comprehensive Strategic Roadmap to address PFAS contamination nationwide. The EPA’s Roadmap focuses on three main strategies: Increase investments in research, Leverage authorities to take action now to restrict PFAS chemicals from being released into the environment, and
The U.S. EPA recently announced the creation of Preliminary Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 15 (Preliminary Plan 15), which identifies opportunities to better protect public health and the environment through regulation of wastewater pollution. For the first time, PFAS will become regulated for wastewater effluent through the Clean Water Act (CWA).
The U.S. House passed the PFAS Action Act of 2021. The legislation would require the U.S. EPA to administer a national primary drinking water standard for PFAS chemicals within two years. Some of the specific bill highlights include restricting industrial discharges of PFAS; allocating $200 million annually for wastewater treatment; and limiting the incineration of PFAS wastes.
The EPA recently announced changes in policy to new PFAS before it can enter the market. The current administration has made a commitment to focus on PFAS pollution and protect human health and the environment. Previously, some new PFAS were allowed to enter the market through low volume exemptions (LVEs).
On March 11, 2021, the EPA proposed the fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 5) UCMR 5, which will require sample collection for 30 chemical contaminants, including PFAS. The testing will occur between 2023 and 2025 using analytical methods developed by EPA and consensus organizations.
The U.S. EPA is moving forward on the required next step in regulating PFAS in drinking water by issuing final regulatory determinations. After receiving more than 10,000 public comments, the EPA made the announcement on January 19, 2021, that they would follow the rulemaking processes required by the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).
In what surely will impact environmental regulatory programs across the United States, the EPA is actively prioritizing PFAS in the environment and has taken two recent actions to continue to address contamination. The EPA has issued a memo detailing an interim National Pollutant Discharge Elimination (NPDES) permitting strategy for PFAS.
The U.S. States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is adding 172 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to the toxic chemicals list that are subject to reporting in the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) and the Pollution Prevention Act. The U.S. EPA took final rule action on the PFAS additions on May 18, 2020.
The State of Ohio has started a statewide PFAS drinking water sampling and laboratory testing program. The testing is being conducted as part of Ohio’s PFAS Action Plan and will identify the concentrations of PFAS in Ohio’s 1,500 public water systems. As part of this sample collection and laboratory testing program, about 250 schools and daycares with their own public water systems are also being tested.
