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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Nonpartisan government watchdog Accountable.US is calling on President-elect Joe Biden and Congress to undo Trump’s last-minute move to weaken safety standards for cancer-causing, PFAS chemicals found in drinking water in New Hampshire and across the country. 

As part of its Damage Control project, Accountable.US is highlighting the actions taken by the Trump administration to benefit industry, its lobbyists, and those that filled the president’s campaign coffers.

“President-elect Biden should immediately follow the recommendations of EPA scientists and assess the safety of PFAS accordingly in order to help ensure safe water in New Hampshire and across the country,” said Chris Saeger, spokesman for Accountable.US. “The Trump administration’s blatant political moves at the eleventh hour fit the pattern of the last four years of catering to industries who disregard environmental hazards in the pursuit of profits. That’s unacceptable, and the Biden administration should act quickly to fix the damage and protect health and safety.” 

The Biden administration should immediately take action in the following areas that will help repeal the dangerous standards set during the past four years under Trump: 

  • Direct EPA to regulate PFAS as a class. In March 2020, EPA issued a preliminary regulation determination to regulate two PFAS chemicals, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The White House began its review of the determination on December 18, 2020. EPA’s decision was limited to just two PFAS substances, PFOA and PFOS. The PFAS class of substances have been linked to a number of health dangers, including reproductive and developmental issues and liver and kidney damage. They’ve also been linked to cancer. As attorneys general pointed out, manufacturers may substitute the use of a regulated PFAS chemical like PFOA or PFOS with an unregulated one, which is why it is important to regulate PFAS chemicals as a class.

Accountable.US has released full documentation for the corrupt origins of these harmful policies on its Damage Control site, which catalogs solutions to harmful Trump policies the Biden administration should pursue to make the government work for all Americans again. 

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