The Environmental Protection Agency’s regulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) should promptly be published in the Federal Register so that the EPA may resume development of a drinking water regulation, according to U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV).
“On January 20, 2021, you issued a memorandum titled ‘Regulatory Freeze Pending Review,’ which directs that any new or pending rules be immediately frozen from publication in the Federal Register until the Biden administration reviews and approves of them,” Sen. Capito wrote in a Feb. 17 letter sent to White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain. “Caught — I hope unintentionally — in this review process are significant actions to address PFAS.”
Sen. Capito, who is ranking member of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, noted that the EPA on Jan. 15 promulgated a National Primary Drinking Water Regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act to regulate specific toxic chemicals in the nation’s water, but it cannot go forward until it has been published in the Federal Register, according to Sen. Capito’s letter.
“This scientifically based and publicly reviewed regulatory determination is a vital step necessary for EPA to regulate these chemicals in drinking water, and is focused entirely on the protection of public health,” the senator wrote.