Remarks for the PFAS Drinking Water Standard Event, As Prepared for Delivery
Michael Regan
Wilmington, NC
Thank you, Emily, for that introduction and thank you also for your steadfast and dedicated leadership on addressing PFAS contamination across the state. I truly appreciate you.
As always, it feels great to be back in my home state. There’s truly no place in the world like North Carolina. The people here are kind. They look out for one another, and they’re deeply committed to the wellbeing of their communities.
Secretary Biser, thank you for your continued leadership and laser focus on reducing PFAS pollution.
Mayor Saffo, thank you for welcoming us to your city. We have worked together from day one to tackle PFAS pollution in our communities, and I continue to be grateful for your leadership.
I’d also like to thank the EPA career staff – led by Radhika Fox, Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water – for their outstanding work in making today possible.
For decades, PFAS have been widely used in industry and consumer products. Commonly known as “forever chemicals,” they can be found in everything from nonstick cookware to cleaning and personal care products.
It’s the resilient and durable qualities that make these chemicals so useful in everyday life, that also make them particularly harmful to people and to the planet.
What began as a so-called “miracle,” groundbreaking technology meant for practicality and convenience, quickly devolved into one of the most pressing environmental and public health concerns of our modern world.
These toxic chemicals are so pervasive and so long-lasting in the environment that they have been found in food, soil, and water in even the most remote corners of our planet.
These chemicals can accumulate in the body over time, and we know that long-term exposure to certain types of PFAS have been linked to serious illnesses, including cancer, liver damage and high cholesterol.
I know firsthand the complex challenges that come along with addressing PFAS. During my time as Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, almost immediately after being confirmed, I was confronted with what would become one of the most significant challenges of my entire career.
Dr. Knappe, an engineering professor at NC State, and his students were conducting water sampling in the Cape Fear River when they discovered the presence of a toxic chemical compound known as GenX.
The Cape Fear River provides drinking water for approximately 1.5 million people. It didn’t take long for these researchers to discover that Chemours, a chemical manufacturing company in Fayetteville, had been deliberately polluting the air and water with these chemicals for decades.
And to make matters worse, for all those years no one was there to hold this company accountable. For decades, no one was there to put a stop to their negligent and indiscriminate pollution.
Imagine what it feels like to be told that the water flowing through your tap is contaminated… and has been for decades? The water that you drink, the water that you use to brush your teeth or bathe your children.
As the parent of a young child, this news was infuriating. And as DEQ Secretary, I knew that tackling this crisis would not be easy, but it had to be addressed head on.
So, we immediately revoked Chemours’ discharge permit. We then issued a consent order to hold Chemours accountable, resulting in the largest fine against a corporate polluter in North Carolina’s history.
Unfortunately, untold stories of unchecked pollution are still happening in communities across this country.
That’s why when I stepped into the role of EPA Administrator, one of my first actions was establishing the EPA Council on PFAS. Despite the previous administration’s anti-science stance, which severely strained EPA’s financial and human capital, I charged the Council with undertaking a comprehensive review of the problem and identifying solutions that we could implement immediately.
In October 2021, we released our PFAS Strategic Roadmap, a strategy that’s guided by President Biden’s “whole-of-government” approach to delivering clean water for all.
Last November, we shared a one-year progress report that underscores the incredible work we’ve accomplished since 2021 – from proposing to designate two PFAS as CERCLA hazardous substances to beginning to distribute $10 billion dollars in funding to address emerging contaminants, thanks to President Biden’s unprecedented commitment to investing in America.
And, today, I’m thrilled to announce that EPA is taking another bold step to protect public health.
I’m so proud to announce that EPA is proposing the first-ever national standard to protect communities from PFAS in drinking water. This is something communities like Wilmington have been demanding for years, and today, we are finally answering their calls.
Specifically, EPA is proposing to establish legally enforceable levels for six PFAS known to occur in drinking water.
Through this proposed rule, our agency is leveraging the most recent science and building on existing state efforts to combat harmful PFAS pollution.
When finalized, the proposed regulation will require public water systems to monitor for these chemicals. It will also require systems to notify the public and reduce the levels of these PFAS as prescribed.
Folks, this is a tremendous step in the right direction.
EPA anticipates that when fully implemented, the rule will prevent thousands of deaths and reduce tens of thousands of serious PFAS-related illnesses.
As Administrator, I’ve had the privilege of traveling all across this great country. I’ve visited big cities, small towns, and everything in between. I can say with certainty, that nothing is more gratifying than seeing firsthand how the work of this agency brings real and lasting impacts to real people.
All people deserve clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, and the opportunity to live a healthy life, and that’s why the decisions we make today are so vital – because they have consequences that will last for generations.
I also recognize that combatting such major issues like PFAS requires that every level of government, – from local, to state, to Tribal, to federal – commit to working together, and acting intentionally to overcome our greatest challenges.
While this proposal is a step forward, there’s no doubt there’s more work left to do. Folks across this country deserve real solutions. They deserve clean air and water and a government that is committed to ensuring that they have access to it.
In everything that we do at EPA – from addressing PFAS to advancing environmental justice – we will put people first. We are committed to fighting for you every single day, and we’re not stopping until all people are provided the same basic and fundamental protections.