Vermont officials are reassessing their tighter drinking water standards for toxic PFAS chemicals after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rolled back parts of its landmark 2023 regulations and extended deadlines for compliance.
Olivia Gieger reports for VTDigger.
In short:
- The EPA is keeping its strict four parts per trillion limit for PFOA and PFOS in drinking water but extended the compliance deadline by two years, to 2031.
- The agency now plans to reconsider limits on four other PFAS chemicals and may grant exemptions to communities that struggle to meet the rules.
- Vermont had been working to align with the 2023 EPA standards but is now pausing its rulemaking due to the federal shift; remediation of known contaminated sites will continue.
- The state will continue remediation of existing drinking water systems known to be contaminated by PFAS.
Key quote:
“Regardless of regulation, we have been remediating down to the 4 (parts per trillion) level.”
— Bryan Redmond, director of the Drinking Water and Groundwater Protection Division in the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation
Why this matters:
“Forever chemicals” have been linked to cancer, reproductive issues, weakened immune response, and hormone disruption. The EPA’s original 2023 limits, adopted under former President Biden, reflected mounting scientific concern about even trace exposures to these chemicals in drinking water. But federal backtracking and delays under the current administration now threaten to slow public health protections, especially in smaller communities with limited resources. Vermont’s effort to push ahead independently with remediation of contaminated drinking water systems even as it hits pause on rulemaking highlights growing frustration among states trying to safeguard residents from PFAS while federal guidance remains in flux.
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