EPA's top official leading efforts to address perfluorinated chemicals appeared to do little to ameliorate senators' concerns over the slow pace of agency action on the issue, telling lawmakers at a Sept. 26 hearing that if the agency decides to regulate the substances under various environmental laws, it would take years to complete. Peter Grevatt, director of the Office of Groundwater and Drinking Water, told the Senate Homeland Security federal spending oversight and emergency management subcommittee that listing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) -the broad class of non-stick chemicals that have been linked to a host of adverse effects - as hazardous substances under Superfund or other laws, and developing an enforceable drinking water standard are the two most significant regulatory actions the agency is currently weighing. Decisions on whether or how to proceed on both items will be addressed in EPA's national management plan, which he said "we hope to have completed" by the end of the year. That appears to be consistent with a similar commitment Grevatt made earlier this month when he told a House panel it was EPA's "goal" to have the plan done by the end of the year.
展开▼
