Attendees Held a Press Conference Calling on Governor Hochul to Sign Legislation That Will Maintain Drinking Water Limits on “Forever Chemicals” Currently Threatened by Federal Rollbacks
Nyack, New York – Today, environment experts, local and state representatives, and community leaders held a press conference to call on Governor Kathy Hochul to sign legislation that will codify health-protective drinking water limits on toxic PFAS chemicals that the Trump Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is trying to roll back. A.8634-B/S.3207-B (Lee/Kavanagh), which passed the State Legislature unanimously in June, will ensure that New Yorkers don’t lose safeguards for their drinking water, no matter what happens in Washington.
Attendees included State Assemblymember and bill sponsor Grace Lee (D-65, Manhattan), State Assemblymember Patrick Carroll (D-96, Bardonia), Rockland County Legislator and Environmental Committee Chair Beth Davidson, Senior Director of Clean Water for Environmental Advocates NY Rob Hayes, Lower Hudson Sierra Club Executive Committee Member Peggy Kurtz, NYS NAACP Environmental & Climate Justice Chair Natalie Patasaw, and Riverkeeper Science Director Shannon Roback.
Throughout the event, speakers underscored that unless the Governor takes action, the Trump administration’s rollback may slow down or stop entirely efforts to clean up drinking water across Rockland County and the Lower Hudson Valley.
In Rockland County, nearly every one of the 63 public water supply sources operated by Veolia Water New York as well as Nyack and Suffern’s water sources have detected PFAS. Filtration systems have been or are being installed in Nyack, Suffern, and twelve of Veolia’s wells, but at least a dozen more Veolia wells have detected PFAS at levels that exceed the federal limits. Without those limits, many of the 300,000 New Yorkers served by Veolia may face prolonged exposure to toxic contamination when they turn on the tap.
In 2024, the Biden administration established science-based drinking water limits on a suite of PFAS chemicals (including PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFHxS, and GenX), which are more health-protective than New York’s current limits on PFOA and PFOS. In May 2026, however, the Trump administration proposed regulations to allow water utilities to delay compliance with the PFOA and PFOS limits. They also proposed scrapping the limits on PFNA, PFHxS, and GenX, which would leave New Yorkers completely unprotected from these toxic chemicals. PFNA and PFHxS have been found at levels up to seven times higher than the federal limits in certain Rockland County drinking waters. Without these state limits on these PFAS, water suppliers don’t need to reduce or even measure them in tap water.
In response, the New York State Senate and Assembly unanimously passed A.8634-B/S.3207-B, which codifies the federal limits on PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFHxS, and GenX into state law and also directs the NYS Department of Health to study what protections may be needed against cumulative PFAS exposure. Other states, including Maine, Vermont, and Wisconsin, have already adopted the current federal PFAS limits as part of state public health law.
The EPA has concluded that there is no safe level of exposure to at least PFOA and PFOS. PFAS exposure has been linked to thyroid disease, kidney and testicular cancer, preeclampsia, and other harmful illnesses.
Fortunately, there is significant state and federal funding available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Water Infrastructure Improvement Act (WIIA) to help water utilities install new filtration to remove PFAS from drinking water. New York is making $425 million in WIIA grants, including for PFAS treatment, available to water utilities this year.
“PFAS chemicals have no place in our drinking water,” said Assemblymember Grace Lee. “The Trump administration’s rollback of federal protections makes it even more urgent for New York to act, which is why I was proud to work with Senator Kavanagh and EANY to pass this legislation. I urge Governor Hochul to sign it into law.”
“New Yorkers deserve clean, safe drinking water, free from dangerous PFAS contamination,” said Assemblyman Patrick Carroll. When the federal government is abdicating their responsibilities by slashing toxic PFAS limits, we as a state must act. This legislation protects public health and strengthens our drinking water standards. I urge Governor Hochul to sign this bill into law and ensure communities across New York have the strongest possible protections from these dangerous contaminants.”
“As a county legislator, two-time thyroid cancer survivor, and mother, I am urging Governor Hochul to meet this moment with the urgency it requires,” said Rockland County Legislator and Environmental Committee Chair Beth Davidson. “It’s clear we cannot count on the Trump administration to stand up to the corporations that produce toxic PFAS chemicals—so we’re counting on the governor to protect our residents, here in Rockland and around New York State.”
“Nyack is investing millions of dollars to upgrade our water treatment plant and protect our drinking water from PFAS “forever chemicals.” It’s a major investment for a community our size, but clean, safe drinking water is fundamental to public health, and our residents deserve to know that the water they drink and give their children meets strong safety standards,” said Nyack Mayor Joe Rand. “With the Trump Administration now proposing to roll back federal protections for some PFAS chemicals, New York must act to ensure those protections remain in place. Clean water should never depend on who occupies the White House.”
“The EPA’s proposed elimination of toxic PFAS limits in drinking water is incredibly concerning. We know how harmful these ‘forever chemicals’ are to our health, and slashing federal protections puts New Yorkers’ health and safety at risk,” said Rob Hayes, Senior Director of Clean Water at Environmental Advocates NY. “Right now, Governor Hochul has an opportunity to step up and position New York as a leader in protecting communities on a state level with this bill.”
“The science on PFAS is clear: There is no safe level of exposure to these chemicals, and the health risks — cancer, reproductive system, and immune system effects — are well-documented. Rolling back standards for PFAS chemicals like PFNA and PFHxS is a dangerous proposition,” said Riverkeeper Science Director Dr. Shannon Roback. “Six water suppliers in Rockland County alone exceed the standards for these PFAS that were created in 2024 and are now being rolled back by the Trump administration. Unless New York passes this bill to codify the previous federal standards into state law, there is no requirement for these suppliers to remove or even measure these other PFAS. The Trump administration’s rollback threatens to undo years of progress on clean water. Governor Hochul must sign this bill and ensure New York’s protections hold firm no matter what happens in Washington.”
“The science has been settled for years. Let’s not make the mistakes that were made with lead and asbestos, to wait for decades, thus exposing an entire generation – and in this case, because of the durability of these chemicals, future generations – to higher risks. It is unconscionable that EPA has chosen to delay and abandon such significant regulations. But at such a time, it is clear that New York can no longer wait for the federal government. New York must lead the way for other states by taking a proactive, precautionary approach to protect New Yorkers,” says Peggy Kurtz, Executive Committee Member of the Lower Hudson Group of Sierra Club.
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