Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown has filed comments opposing the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to eliminate drinking water limits for four PFAS chemicals.
The current standards were established under the Safe Drinking Water Act and regulate the testing and treatment of public drinking water systems for certain PFAS chemicals and mixtures.
PFAS are commonly called “forever chemicals” because they resist natural degradation after entering the environment. They can reach groundwater and surface water through industrial, military and consumer uses.
Research has linked PFAS exposure to certain cancers and harm to reproductive systems and development.
The EPA finalized its PFAS drinking water rule in 2024 following research, analysis and public feedback.
Brown and a coalition of attorneys general argue that the proposed rollback violates the Safe Drinking Water Act’s anti-backsliding provision, which is intended to prevent finalized drinking water standards from being weakened.
The coalition also argues that the proposal violates the Administrative Procedure Act because the EPA did not provide sufficient justification or consider alternatives to eliminating the standards.
Brown was joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaiʻi, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin.
