Pressure vessels hold an ion exchange resin media that filters out Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as"forever chemicals," at a water treatment plant in Fullerton, California, on July 1, 2021.
Under the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act , or Superfund law, the rule will require leaks and spills of these per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances to be immediately reported and will allow for investigation and cleanup of the chemicals. “This is great news for the many communities grappling with PFAS contamination — many of which are also low income and communities of color,” said Tracey Woodruff, an environmental health researcher at the University of California, San Francisco and a former EPA senior scientist.
“Without Congressional action, a wave of lawsuits could potentially raise taxes and utility rates on millions of Americans,” Sen. Shelley Capito, a Republican from West Virginia, said at a U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works hearing last month. “This result flips the ‘polluter pays’ principle on its head, turning it into a ‘consumer pays’ model.