States Float PFAS Drinking Water Limits as EPA Weighs Biden Rule

State lawmakers are proposing new limits on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in tap water as questions emerge about the Trump administration’s stance on regulating the chemicals.

Democratic lawmakers in at least five states have introduced bills to set maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for PFAS in drinking water. The class of chemicals, which has been linked to liver issues and certain cancers, does not break down naturally in the environment and is known as “forever chemicals.”

The proposed laws vary in the levels they would allow in drinking water.

Some, like California’s and Connecticut’s, would set the state’s first enforceable ...