Wisconsin Department of Justice Opposes EPA’s Rollback of PFAS Limits in Drinking Water
MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) is joining a coalition in filing comments opposing the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed rollback on limits to four per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water. The rollback means that public drinking water systems won’t be required by federal law to test for these “forever” chemicals, report how much of them are in our public drinking water, or treat drinking water to remove these chemicals so people don’t ingest them.
“The Trump administration’s attempt to get rid of these limits on forever chemicals in our drinking water isn’t just unlawful—it’s dangerous to the health of Wisconsinites,” said AG Kaul.
PFAS chemicals resist degradation in the environment and accumulate in the body. Those contaminants may be linked to serious adverse health effects in humans and animals. Epidemiologic studies have shown that potential adverse human health effects from exposure to some PFAS include increased serum cholesterol, immune dysregulation, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and kidney and testicular cancers. Exposure to certain types of PFAS is also associated with low birthweight in humans, suppressed immune system response, dyslipidemia, impaired kidney function, and delayed onset of menstruation.
Two years ago, EPA put in place a final rule to regulate the presence and amount of four PFAS chemicals, including PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA, and the mixture of these three PFAS plus PFBS, in public drinking water. That rule was adopted under the Safe Drinking Water Act, which gives EPA the authority to set such national standards for chemicals and contaminants in our water. EPA went through a years-long process to adopt this rule, including conducting research and analysis and asking for public feedback.
Now, EPA is proposing to eliminate this rule entirely for these four important PFAS without providing any good reason. This rule does not affect EPA’s national drinking water standards for two of the most well-known PFAS, PFOA and PFOS. The agency hasn’t analyzed how this rollback would impact drinking water or people’s health, and didn’t consider taking a narrower action or trying a different solution instead.
The coalition has filed comments reminding EPA that this action is illegal and arbitrary. The federal Safe Drinking Water Act has a specific provision to protect public health that prevents EPA from backsliding on its regulations. That’s exactly what the EPA is trying to do here. Eliminating these protections would put people’s public health at risk, and the coalition is asking the EPA to not rescind the 2024 rule.
Joining Wisconsin DOJ in filing these comments are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
Mentioned in This Press Release
Recent Press Releases by Wisconsin Department of Justice
Wisconsin DOJ and Coalition Win Ruling Protecting Billions in Critical Federal Funding
Jul 21st, 2026 by Wisconsin Department of JusticeJudge Rules Trump Administration Cannot Subvert Will of Congress Through Obscure Regulation
