Trump administration withdraws proposed PFAS effluent limits

On January 21, 2025, one day after taking office, the Trump administration seemingly withdrew a pending Biden administration proposal that would limit PFAS in effluent.

The proposal would have set limits on PFAS in effluent with discharge limits.

The proposal was removed from White House review where, if approved, it would have been released to the public for a comment period.

The withdrawal came after President Trump signed an executive order which placed a freeze on any proposed rules that have been sent to the Office of the Federal Register (OFR).

The executive order aims to “immediately withdraw any rules that have been sent to the OFR but not published in the Federal Register.” The executive order states that the withdrawal is so a department or agency head appointed by the President can review and approve the rule.

According to a news article, the proposal for PFAS effluent limits was sent to the White House last year.

“This move not only delays establishing critical federal standards but also sends a dangerous message giving polluters a green light to continue poisoning our water and communities without fear or consequence,” said Vice President for Government Affairs, Environmental Working Group, Melanie Benesh in a statement.

Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Dorothy Fink released a memo that included exceptions to the executive order. Exceptions include anything that affects “critical health, safety, environmental, financial or national security functions of the department, or for some other reason.”

“State regulators have waited for the federal government to lead on this issue so they can incorporate effective monitoring and treatment requirements into their discharge permits,” Benesh said in a statement. “Without federal limits, those efforts remain stalled.”