PFAS bill protecting utilities companies passes in Indiana House and Senate

By Lisa John Rogers | Great Lakes Now | March 24, 2025

Read the full article by Lisa John Rogers (Great Lakes Now)

"On March 24, Indiana Senate Bill 426 was signed by the House Speaker and Senate President Pro Tempore. This bill will go on for Gov. Mike Braun to potentially sign into law. The bill would protect water utilities from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) lawsuits. According to earlier reporting from Indiana Public Broadcast News, Justin Schneider with Indiana American Water, said when customers sue utilities, the cost of those lawsuits gets passed back on to water utility customers.

“And the reality is that the utilities do not make the scientific or the technical decisions about what the water quality standards should be — we’re the ones that implement those,” Schneider said to IPB News.

New York state is once again pushing to pass the Plastic Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act. Last week, the legislation passed the Environmental Conservation Committee in the state Senate and Assembly, while advocates held a rally at the state Capitol according to Spectrum News NY1. The bill aims to regulate companies with an income of $1 million, to reduce plastic packaging by 30% over 12 years and specifically phasing out 17 toxic chemicals used in plastic packaging like formaldehyde, vinyl chloride and PFAS. "