Congress Pressed to Re-Visit PFAS Regulations

Washington, D.C. (December 13, 2024): With a change in the White House and a new Administration in 2025, manufacturers have requested the EPA re-visit regulations for per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances.  The outgoing Administration implemented costly new PFAS rules that manufacturers deemed too costly and prohibitive. Manufacturers pay nearly $350 billion in regulatory compliance costs annually, nearly 12 percent of manufacturers’ share of U.S. GDP.  Smaller manufacturers are hardest hit as compliance costs can reach $50,000 per employee annually. Senator Shelly Morre Capito (R-WV) and Congressman James Comer (R-KY), Chairs of the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee and House Oversight & Accountability Committees respectively, have questioned the scientific basis for some of EPA’s decision-making on PFAS.  Industry groups suggested considering PFAS chemicals individually rather than regulating them as a class of chemicals.  The broad approach increases the risk of low-risk chemicals being forced out of the manufacturing process with no viable alternatives to replace them. For more information, please contact Bill Sells, SFIA SVP for Government & Public Affairs, at bsells@sfia.org.