CLIFF NOTES EPA proposed withdrawing national drinking water standards for GenX, PFNA, PFHxS, and PFBS and delaying others, according to SELC. SELC said utilities may be allowed to further delay limits on PFOA and PFOS. Kelly Moser of SELC said the proposal prioritizes corporate interests over public health. SELC pointed to North Carolina’s Cape Fear … Read more
CLIFF NOTES Washington, D.C. spilled about 240 million gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River from mid-January to mid-March 2026. The article says it may be the largest sewage spill in U.S. history, and it warns more spills are coming. It blames aging mid-20th-century sewer systems and chronic underinvestment. Overflows happen from breaks, blockages … Read more
CLIFF NOTES EPA is accused of spinning PFAS progress while weakening protections. EPA is said to be taking credit for work started under Biden. PFAS reporting was set to start in July 2025. A delay and importer exemptions were proposed. Standards for six PFAS were finalized with five years to comply. EPA sought to drop … Read more
CLIFF NOTES A 72-inch sewer pipe in Montgomery County, Maryland, ruptured on January 19, 2026, spilling about 40 million gallons of sewage daily into the Potomac River. The spill occurred near Clara Barton Parkway and Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, upstream from Washington, D.C. DC Water is installing pumps to divert sewage from … Read more
CLIFF NOTES● EPA proposed reducing pollution reporting requirements.● Public access to emissions data may shrink.● Communities rely on transparency.● Critics warn of reduced accountability.● Early detection may be delayed. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposal that could end one of the United States’ most comprehensive tools for tracking greenhouse gas emissions. Since … Read more
In the foothills of West Virginia, a chemical facility known for its toxic legacy continues to pump harmful substances into the Ohio River, despite a much-publicized federal crackdown. Chemours’ Washington Works plant, once operated by DuPont, remains a major source of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS — chemicals infamous for their longevity in the … Read more
The EPA’s been tracking PFAS in drinking water, but their latest update—due quarterly—arrived over a month late. It landed amid Trump-era rollbacks, like slashing power plant emission rules and shrinking Clean Water Act protections. For 37 million Americans, USA TODAY’s analysis of this data reveals their water exceeds PFAS limits. It’s a quiet crisis, bubbling … Read more
Picture a Marine Corps base bustling with life—families, workers, soldiers—sipping water from the tap, trusting it’s safe. But for decades at Camp Lejeune, that trust hid a grim truth: toxic chemicals laced the drinking water, sparking a legal fight now heating up. Lawsuits pile up, voices clash, and survivors wait—let’s step into this tangled story … Read more
The Supreme Court struck down the EPA’s PFAS drinking water rules in February 2025, ruling 5-4 that the agency stretched its power too far. This decision axed limits on six PFAS types, including PFOA and PFOS—set at 4 parts per trillion—leaving no federal cap in place. PFAS, dubbed “forever chemicals,” stick around in water and … Read more
For decades, the Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) has encouraged the use of sewage sludge as fertilizer, a practice marketed as sustainable waste management. However, evidence reveals that this sludge, often laden with toxic PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” contaminates farmland, food, and water sources nationwide. The origin of these chemicals, their risks, and the … Read more