Queen Creek, Arizona — Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has joined a group of 18 other attorneys general in formally objecting to a federal proposal that would undo national limits on four PFAS compounds in public drinking water. In comments filed this week with the Environmental Protection Agency, announced July 22, the coalition argues the agency lacks the legal authority to withdraw the standards.
Under the EPA's proposal, federal law would no longer compel utilities to monitor the four substances, tell the public what concentrations show up in local systems, or run treatment that strips them from what comes out of the faucet. The chemicals at issue, sometimes called "forever chemicals" because they persist in the environment, include GenX; the coalition's filing says studies have tied the substances to health damage affecting several organs — among them the kidneys, thyroid and liver — along with the body's immune defenses and reproductive health.
The attorneys general contend the move would be unlawful because the Safe Drinking Water Act bars the agency from weakening a protection once it has been adopted. The EPA finalized the standards two years ago after an extended review that included public comment, and the coalition's filing asks the agency to keep the 2024 rule in place. The coalition also asserts the agency has not studied how withdrawing the rule would affect public health and did not weigh narrower alternatives.
"The dangers of forever chemicals in drinking water are well documented. This is not the time to be rolling back limits of these toxic chemicals. Eliminating protections already in place will only further jeopardize the health of Arizonans." — Attorney General Kris Mayes
