/ By

The decision comes after the EPA fell short of committing to setting a federal standard
Kyle Bagenstose reports for the Bucks Courier-Times:
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection will work to set its own drinking water standards for toxic chemicals popping up in drinking water across the state, a department spokesperson said Friday.
The announcement comes on the heels of a news conference held by the Environmental Protection Agency in Philadelphia on Thursday, in which the agency kicked a decision on whether to regulate perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctance sulfonate (PFOS), until the end of the year. While acting EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler said he had “every intention” of developing a standard for the chemicals, the agency stopped short of promising it would do so, drawing criticisms from environmental groups and lawmakers.
The DEP, which has been considering the idea of setting its own drinking water standard for the chemicals dating back to last year, said the EPA’s position factored into its own decision to move forward. The DEP development was first reported by environmental news website StateImpact Pennsylvania.
“Governor Tom Wolf and (DEP Secretary Patrick) McDonnell have been advocating for the U.S. EPA to take the lead in addressing PFAS chemicals, and are pleased to see them taking the first steps towards making a regulatory determination for setting a Maximum Contaminant Level for PFOS and PFOA in drinking water and working towards cleanup standards,” wrote DEP spokesman Neil Shader in an email. “However, EPA would not commit to a specific time frame and the people of Pennsylvania cannot wait on the federal government.”
Shader said the DEP would be “moving forward” with a request for proposals to hire a consulting scientist, whose job will be to examine existing health studies to determine a safe drinking water level for the chemicals. Shader did not spell out the process further or give any timeline for actions. Those familiar with the DEP have noted the department has never before set its own drinking water standard, and will likely have to lay the framework as it goes.
Shader said the DEP also is “moving forward” with obtaining the necessary laboratory equipment, personnel and training to conduct in-house testing for the chemicals.
The state has ramped up action on PFOS and PFOA, which belong to a wider suite of chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. The department held an inaugural “PFAS Action Team” meeting in Harrisburg in November, bringing together representatives from various state departments to discuss this issue.
At the meeting, state Department of Health officials said they are working with the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) to try and get additional funding to perform health testing in the state. Officials from the fire commission said they were reviewing their files to try to identify areas where firefighting foams containing the chemicals were previously used, and along with the Department of Transportation, ensure emergency responders are trained in disposing of or capturing any PFOS-based foams that still exist.
Officials from the DEP also said at the November meeting that the information would be used as part of a strategy to look for areas where PFAS contamination might exist, saying the state lacks the resources to sample all of the more than 8,000 community water providers in the state for the chemicals.

Verified by MonsterInsights