Lee M. Zeldin, the 17th EPA Administrator | Official Website
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has put forward a proposal to revise its reporting regulations for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The aim is to make these regulations more practical and reduce unnecessary reporting burdens on businesses, while still gathering essential data on PFAS use and safety.
In October 2023, the EPA finalized a one-time rule requiring manufacturers, including importers of PFAS from 2011 to 2022, to report exposure data and any existing environmental and health effects. However, this rule has been criticized for imposing nearly a billion-dollar compliance burden without providing a clear framework for using the collected data or demonstrating its contribution to environmental protection goals. Critics argue that it lacks practical implementation standards, as evidenced by IT system failures and administrative delays, which have unnecessarily burdened small businesses and importers.
The proposed changes are part of Administrator Lee Zeldin’s "Powering the Great American Comeback" initiative. They aim to reduce regulatory reporting burdens while ensuring that the EPA receives relevant PFAS data. These changes also align with Zeldin’s commitment made on April 28, 2025, to implement TSCA section 8(a)(7) in a way that collects necessary information without overburdening small businesses.
"This Biden-era rule would have imposed crushing regulatory burdens and nearly $1 billion in implementation costs on American businesses," said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. "Today’s proposal is grounded in commonsense and the law, allowing us to collect the information we need to help combat PFAS contamination without placing ridiculous requirements on manufacturers, especially the small businesses that drive our country’s economy."
The proposed exemptions include PFAS manufactured or imported in mixtures or products at concentrations of 0.1% or lower; imported articles; certain byproducts; impurities; research and development chemicals; and non-isolated intermediates. Technical corrections are also suggested to clarify reporting requirements and adjust the data submission period.
Comments on these proposed changes will be accepted for 45 days following their publication in the Federal Register under docket #EPA-HQ-OPPT-2020-0549 at www.regulations.gov. A prepublication version of this proposal can be viewed here.
Information from this article can be found here.
