On May 14, 2025, the EPA announced a multi-pronged rollback of Biden-era PFAS drinking water protections. While maintaining maximum contaminant levels for two PFAS chemicals (PFOA and PFOS), the agency extended compliance deadlines to 2031 -- giving water utilities two additional years to meet standards. More significantly, EPA announced its intent to rescind enforceable standards for four of six regulated PFAS types: PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA (GenX), and a hazard index mixture including PFBS.
Research Grant Terminations
In May 2025, the EPA terminated all 10 congressionally appropriated grants for PFAS research into reducing contamination in food and farmlands, totaling over $15 million. Grants to Texas A&M University ($1.6M for studying plant uptake of PFAS), Michigan State University ($1.6M for crop and livestock contamination research), and teams led by the Passamaquoddy Tribe and the University of Maine were all canceled. The agency stated the grants "no longer effectuate the program goals or agency priorities."
Court Action
On September 11, 2025, EPA filed a motion in federal court to eliminate enforceable standards for GenX, PFHxS, PFNA, and PFBS entirely, with a draft rule released in fall 2025 and finalization expected by spring 2026.
Significance
PFAS -- known as "forever chemicals" because they do not break down in the environment -- are linked to cancer, thyroid disease, immune system damage, and reproductive harm. The Biden-era standards, finalized in April 2024, were the first-ever federal limits on PFAS in drinking water. The rollback effectively returned PFAS regulation to a voluntary framework for four of six chemical types while simultaneously defunding the science needed to understand the scope of contamination.