The Trump administration … moved to partially roll back drinking water protections from toxic “forever chemicals.”
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed to allow some delays for water systems to regulate these chemicals.
It also said it would rescind four of the six types of forever chemicals covered under a Biden-era rule.
Under that Biden-era regulation, water systems are required to filter out at least some of these toxic substances by a 2029 deadline.
Now, the administration is proposing to allow companies to apply for extensions to push that deadline back to 2031 ….
An EPA official told reporters that extensions would be granted on a case-by-case basis and that even with an extension, systems with high levels of contamination would need to take interim measures to reduce it. The official declined to say whether most companies that apply for an extension would be likely to receive one.
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EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin on [May 18, 2026] described the approach as realistic and legally durable.
“Technologies are still being developed,” he said. “A deadline you cannot physically meet is not a public health protection.”
