EPA Must Regulate Perchlorate Levels in Water, Court Says (2)

The US Environmental Protection Agency must regulate perchlorate levels in drinking water, after the D.C. Circuit ruled Tuesday that the agency can’t withdraw its “regulatory determination” saying it would do so.

The EPA concluded in 2020 that perchlorate doesn’t appear in enough public water systems, or at high enough levels, to cause concern, and it withdrew its regulatory determination under the Safe Drinking Water Act that required it to regulate the chemical, which is found in rocket fuel, fertilizers, and fireworks. The Obama administration EPA wrote the determination in 2011.

The Natural Resources Defense Council sued, arguing that the EPA ...