FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 3, 2026
EANY Statement on the Passage of PFAS Drinking Water Safety Limits
On today’s passage by the Legislature of a bill setting strict safety limits on toxic PFAS chemicals in New Yorkers’ drinking water, Environmental Advocates NY released the following statement:
“With the EPA abandoning its mission to protect New Yorkers from poisons in our drinking water, our state needs to step up, and today the Assembly unanimously joined the Senate in doing that,” said Rob Hayes, Senior Director of Clean Water, Environmental Advocates NY. “The science is clear: PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ are deadly poisons that don’t belong in our drinking water. Now that the legislature has passed this bill to maintain the science-based protections that keep us safe when we turn on the tap, it’s imperative that the Governor sign it as soon as possible.”
Background
- Under the Biden administration, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established science-based safety limits to keep PFAS “forever chemicals” out of drinking water.
- In May 2026, Donald Trump’s EPA formally proposed regulatory changes that would abandon limits on four PFAS chemicals (PFNA, PFHxS, GenX, and PFBS), which would remove the requirement for water utilities to install new filtration to remove these dangerous chemicals from drinking water when harmful levels are detected.
- EPA is also proposing to allow water utilities to delay compliance with limits on two other PFAS (PFOA and PFOS), which would unnecessarily prolong New Yorkers’ exposure to health hazards when they turn on the tap.
Environmental Advocates NY is New York’s leading environmental watchdog, working for over 50 years to advance strong environmental laws and hold decision-makers accountable.
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