Fitzpatrick, Dingell Push Back on Proposed Rollback of PFAS Drinking Water Protections

Washington, DC--Today, Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01) and Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06), Co-Chairs of the Congressional PFAS Task Force, raised concerns following the Adminstration's proposal to roll back federal drinking water protections for toxic "forever chemicals" known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.

The proposal would rescind limits on four PFAS chemicals under the nation's first-ever PFAS drinking water standard and give water systems two additional years to comply with limits for two others-potentially leaving communities exposed to contaminated drinking water for longer.

"Safe drinking water should never be a luxury, a legal debate, or a question at the kitchen sink. For families facing PFAS contamination, this is about the water they pour into a glass, cook with, and give to their children. These forever chemicals are found in the blood of nearly 98% of Americans, and communities that did not create this pollution should not be forced to live with the risk or pay the cost of cleaning it up. America should be moving faster to get PFAS out of our drinking water-not giving families more years of uncertainty and harm. We will not stand by while protections are weakened and working families are left waiting. We will continue fighting to protect clean water, hold polluters accountable, and put public health ahead of the interests that created this crisis," said Fitzpatrick and Dingell.

Today's letter marks the latest step in Fitzpatrick and Dingell's bipartisan effort to secure strong, enforceable protections for communities facing PFAS contamination. In June 2025, the lawmakers introduced legislation to put these safe drinking water regulations into law. The following month, they led 69 of their colleagues in urging the EPA to uphold the first-ever national primary drinking water regulation for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

A copy of the letter can be found HERE and text is below:

Dear Administrator Zeldin:

We write to express concerns surrounding the Agency's decision related to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) rule. While we applaud efforts by the Administration to invest nearly $1 billion dollars in new funding to states to address PFAS in drinking water, potential for erosion of the SDWA must be taken seriously.

PFAS contamination is a real and urgent public health crisis across our country, and this rollback only serves to undermine the core purpose of SDWA to ensure communities have access to safe drinking water. Nearly 98% of Americans have PFAS detectable in their blood, and as of March 2026, about 176 million Americans drink water contaminated with PFAS. Rolling back drinking water standards for PFAS will further the existing public health crisis our communities are already facing due to these forever chemicals.

The finalized 2024 rule established an enforceable maximum contaminant level (MCL) standard of four parts per trillion for two of the most dangerous PFAS variants, PFOS and PFOA. It also regulated other times of PFAS, PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS, and GenX with an enforceable MCL standard of ten parts per trillion. It required that public water systems monitor for PFAS, notify the public of PFAS, and reduce PFAS in drinking water through phased-in approaches.

EPA finalized its 2024 rulemaking in response to its own extensive scientific research that reflected the correlation of PFAS to high cholesterol, kidney cancer, decreases in birth weight, and other serious health risks. When issued, the EPA estimated that this rule would prevent PFAS exposure in drinking water for as many as 100 million Americans, prevent thousands of deaths, and reduce tens of thousands of serious PFAS-attributable illnesses. The finalization of the 2024 rule was an important step in the fight to keep forever chemicals out of our homes and communities and rescinding this standard means harmful PFAS contamination will continue to spread through drinking water.

Safe drinking water should never be a luxury or a legal debate. For families facing PFAS contamination, this is about the water they pour into a glass, cook with, and give to their children. America should be moving faster to get PFAS out of our drinking water-not giving families more years of uncertainty and harm. We will not stand by while protections are weakened and working families are left waiting. We will continue fighting to protect clean water, hold polluters accountable, and put public health ahead of the interests that created this crisis.

We encourage EPA to reconsider the dangerous rollback of its 2024 PFAS National Drinking Water Standard.

Thank you for your attention to this matter and we look forward to your response