As EPA delays Biden-era PFAS standards, New Jersey scores major settlement By EPN Staff New Jersey recently finalized a $450 million settlement with 3M over PFAS contamination linked to the company’s facilities – one of the largest such settlements to date. The deal, struck as new federal standards were paused, reflects the growing legal and regulatory attention to PFAS as states and federal agencies reevaluate how best to address their presence in drinking water systems. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are synthetic chemicals used in a range of industrial and consumer products. They are persistent in the environment and resistant to degradation, and state governments are bolstering efforts to provide oversight. Why it matters New Jersey’s settlement with 3M underscores how litigation is being used in parallel with greater government regulation of PFAS amid efforts to address contamination and fund remediation. The judicial system is increasingly used to boost scrutiny of the ubiquitous chemicals amid shifting federal strategies to address the issue. This spring, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it was pushing compliance deadlines for new PFAS-related standards in drinking water to 2031. The agency also said it would reconsider standards for four of six regulated compounds – GenX, PFNA, PFHxS, and PFBS – citing the need for further technical review and legal durability under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The move comes barely a year after the EPA, under former President Joe Biden’s administration, finalized enforceable drinking water standards for six PFAS chemicals, setting limits for PFOA and PFOS at 4 parts per trillion (ppt). The bigger picture States like Michigan, Maine, and North Carolina have emerged as states that are implementing stricter PFAS-related standards and targeted enforcement that exceeds EPA standards. Michigan’s PFAS Action Response Team (MPART) enforces some of the most aggressive drinking water limits in the country and continues to expand testing in schools, landfills and military sites. In Maine, lawmakers have banned the sale of products containing intentionally added PFAS by 2030 and launched compensation programs for farmers whose land was contaminated by biosolids. North Carolina, particularly along the Cape Fear River Basin, has faced widespread PFAS pollution from industrial discharges. The state is expanding monitoring requirements and strengthening discharge permits to limit further contamination.
