The Hill: EPA to Propose First-Ever ‘Forever Chemical’ Discharge Limits — In a new plan released this week, the EPA affirmed that it would propose a rule setting limits for PFAS wastewater discharges from facilities that manufacture the substances, as well as from chromium electroplating facilities.
Boston Globe: Easton Sues Chemical Companies Over PFAS in Water — The federal lawsuit alleges that Easton’s fire and rescue department used fire-fighting foam products, unaware that they contained the harmful chemicals, which contaminated ground water that fed the town water supplies. The federal lawsuit seeks to recover the costs associated with removing the chemicals.
The Washington Examiner: The Problem with the EPA’s Pesticide Politics — In this commentary penned for the Washington Examiner, Bill Wirtz explains the battle between the EPA and farmers. As the EPA wades further into regulatory battles over pesticides, the author argues, “opening the floodgates of administrative flip-flopping and an avalanche of lawsuits is to nobody’s benefit but a few wealthy law firms.”
The Center Square: Maine Attorney General Enlisting Law Firms to Handle PFAS Litigation — Maine’s Attorney General is looking to hire private law firms to help handle civil litigation filed by citizens over “forever chemicals” contamination. Gov. Janet Mills recently signed a bill approved by the state Legislature extending the statute of limitations for private lawsuits involving PFAS contamination in soil and water systems and private drinking water wells to six years.
Works in Progress: How Trust Undermines Science — Sarah Perry asks if we have come to over-rely on “scientific conclusions” in this op-ed: “Our success is based on scientific discovery, so it’s not surprising how much faith we put into it. But we now trust science so implicitly that our trust undermines the institution itself.”