There has been a flurry of recent federal activity regarding PFAS on the part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA has doubled down on certain regulatory fronts, defending key hazardous substance designations for PFOA and PFOS, while simultaneously scaling back certain PFAS drinking water limits. These developments, together with EPA’s latest Unified Regulatory Agenda, reveal a more targeted approach to PFAS regulation in certain respects while, on the whole, continuing the march toward increased governmental obligations on the other.
Minnesota PFAS Reporting Requirements Delayed to July 2026
Enacted into law in 2023, Minnesota’s “Products Containing PFAS” legislation, Minn. Stat. § 116.943 (also known as “Amara’s Law”), imposes obligations on manufacturers, importers, and distributors of products containing intentionally added perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
D.C. Circuit Restarts Litigation over EPA’s PFAS Drinking Water Standards, Continues Pause in CERCLA Litigation
On July 22, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia (D.C.) Circuit granted a motion by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to lift the abeyance in consolidated litigation challenging the agency’s National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) for PFAS, finalized by the Biden administration in April of 2024.
D.C. Circuit Grants Latest Abeyance Extension in PFAS MCL Litigation
On June 5, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit granted the EPA’s third request to continue holding in abeyance consolidated litigation challenging the agency’s national drinking water regulation for six per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), including PFOA and PFOS. The court’s order in American Water Works Association, et al. v. EPA, No. 24-1188, gives the agency until July 21, 2025, to advise the court how it intends to proceed.
EPA to Reconsider Drinking Water Standards for Several PFAS
On May 14, 2025, EPA announced its intent to rescind the national drinking water standards for hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA or GenX), perfluorononanoate (PFNA), and perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), as well as the hazard index used to evaluate the combined risk of those compounds and perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS). These Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) were finalized in April 2024 under the prior administration. EPA says it will reconsider the regulatory determinations “to ensure that the determinations and any resulting drinking water regulation follow the legal process laid out in the Safe Drinking Water Act” (SDWA).
EPA Issues Second Extension of PFAS Reporting Timeline Under TSCA Section 8(a)(7)
On May 12, 2025, EPA announced that it will again revise the reporting timeline for manufacturers of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under Section 8(a)(7) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The data submission window will now open on April 13, 2026 and close on October 13, 2026, replacing the previous window of July 11, 2025 to January 11, 2026. For small manufacturers reporting exclusively as article importers, EPA’s interim final rule provides an alterative end date of April 13, 2027—a change consistent with Administrator Zeldin’s call to not “overburden[] small businesses and article importers.”
EPA’s PFAS Strategy Evolves Amid Continued Regulatory, Legislative, and Litigation Uncertainty
While the Trump administration’s PFAS policy framework is beginning to take shape, uncertainties remain across the regulatory, litigation and legislative fronts. On April 28, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced a set of PFAS-related actions outlining a coordinated regulatory approach to addressing PFAS contamination. However, the Agency’s only two finalized PFAS rules—both issued during the Biden administration—remain stayed in federal court, and it still unclear whether the current Administration will defend, revise or withdraw them. At the same time, congressional interest appears to be intensifying. On May 1, a bipartisan PFAS Task Force was relaunched in the House of Representatives, signaling renewed legislative focus on PFAS policy.
3M Agrees to Enter into Settlement with State of New Jersey and Pay up to $450 Million to Resolve Present and Future PFAS Contamination Claims
On May 12, 2025, 3M announced an agreement with the State of New Jersey to resolve two sets of legal liabilities related to PFAS contamination: (1) all claims that the company is currently facing or has faced related to PFAS contamination at Chambers Works manufacturing facility in Salem County, NJ and (2) all present and future PFAS-related claims that the State of New Jersey has (or may have in the future) against 3M.
PFAS, HFCs and Related Chemicals in the Data Center Industry
Data centers use various chemicals that have recently been the focus of regulatory efforts at the federal and state level. The historic or future use of these chemicals may create liabilities, obligations, or new costs for both existing and planned data centers.
Presidential Memo Directs Immediate Repeal of Regulations Without Public Notice and Comment
Continuing with the Trump administration’s deregulatory agenda, the White House issued a Presidential Memorandum on April 9 titled Directing the Appeal of Unlawful Regulations. It instructs executive agencies to repeal regulations that, in the administration’s view, are “unlawful” in light of ten recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions. The directive builds on Executive Order 14219 and the broader “Department of Government Efficiency” initiative and calls for a sweeping review and repeal process.