Trump administration scraps EPA rule to limit toxic PFAS pollution, sparking concern in NC

The Trump administration has withdrawn a proposed Environmental Protection Agency rule that aimed to limit industrial discharges of toxic "forever chemicals," a move that has sparked concern among North Carolina residents and environmental advocates.

The withdrawn proposal, which had not been finalized before the Biden administration left office, would have required PFAS manufacturers to monitor and reduce discharges into waterways under the Clean Water Act. The rule was developed to target industries like Chemours, a subsidiary of DuPont, which has been responsible for dumping PFAS chemicals, including GenX, into the Cape Fear River and surrounding groundwater for decades.

The Office of Management and Budget quietly withdrew the proposal on Jan. 21, citing President Donald Trump’s executive order freezing new regulations. The withdrawal prevents the EPA from moving forward with the rule, which advocates say could have helped protect drinking water supplies by addressing pollution at its source.

Trump has claimed his administration will deliver the “cleanest air and water,” but critics argue that rollbacks of environmental policy contradict that promise.

Emily Donovan, a Wilmington resident turned clean water advocate after learning her community’s drinking water had been contaminated by Chemours, expressed frustration over the decision.

“This is going to cost Americans so much money,” Donovan said. “When companies discharge PFAS into bodies of water, the cost should be on them—they’re the polluter. It shouldn’t be the burden of communities to clean that mess up out of the tap water.”

North Carolina has become a national hotspot for PFAS contamination, particularly in the Cape Fear River Basin. More than 3.6 million residents in the state have drinking water with PFAS levels above the federal safety threshold established in April 2024.

PFAS, which are used in nonstick cookware, waterproof clothing, food packaging, and other products, are nearly impossible to break down in the environment. The chemicals are linked to serious health risks, including cancer, immune suppression, and developmental issues.

Local utilities, not polluters, are shouldering the financial burden of cleanup. The Cape Fear Public Utility Authority has spent $75 million on filtration systems to remove PFAS from drinking water, while the Fayetteville Public Works Commission is building a $92 million system to address contamination.

“These immense financial burdens have already forced us to raise rates repeatedly,” said Wilmington City Council member Salette Andrews.

The federal withdrawal comes as North Carolina regulators struggle to address PFAS pollution through state-level actions. The Environmental Management Commission (EMC), which oversees environmental rulemaking, has delayed implementing comprehensive ground and surface water standards for PFAS, citing a lack of federal guidance.

“Normally, we're following the EPA on most of these things," said John "JD" Solomon, chair of the EMC. "EPA is just now regulating drinking water and they're not regulating surface or groundwater yet."

Although the EMC is advancing a PFAS mitigation framework requiring industrial facilities to monitor and reduce discharges, critics argue that these plans are insufficient.

“Although it looks like the EMC is doing something, it’s really a smokescreen,” said Jean Zhuang, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center. “What they’re doing is preventing the state from implementing surface water standards. Without those standards, industries can continue dumping PFAS into waterways without enforceable reductions, leaving downstream communities without the certainty that their water is safe.”

Environmental Management Commissioner Kevin Tweedy voiced concern over the slow pace of action. “We’ve known that this is a big issue for a long time, and I’m concerned we continue to have meetings and we’re not moving the ball far enough down the field. Can we move that ball faster?”

A DEQ spokesperson said in a statement, in part: "DEQ is reviewing and evaluating the actions being taken by the President's administration to assess the impacts on North Carolinians' public health and the environment. Reducing PFAS at the discharge source is the most cost-effective way to protect public health and the environment."

Advocates like Donovan argue that inaction at both the federal and state levels leaves communities vulnerable.

“At the end of the day, the law that still stands is the Clean Water Act,” Donovan said. “You can’t discharge undisclosed chemicals into bodies of water without permission. But what we’ve learned with GenX is that the Clean Water Act alone doesn’t protect us. Without monitoring and clear standards in permits, industries can keep polluting without accountability.”

The lack of state surface water standards and federal discharge limits has left gaps in enforcement, forcing downstream communities to bear the cost of cleanup and public health impacts.

“This is a crisis that industry has caused and industry should be the one paying to fix it,” Donovan said. “Instead, taxpayers are being left to foot the bill while polluters get a free pass.”

The DEQ has been directed to accelerate its PFAS mitigation framework, with a follow-up meeting scheduled for February to finalize rules for monitoring and reduction plans. However, the absence of federal action complicates efforts to address the widespread contamination in North Carolina.

“What we’re losing here is a cost-saving mechanism for taxpayers,” Donovan said. “This administration claims to want to save taxpayers money, but their inaction on PFAS says otherwise.”