Vote coming on PFAS, 1,4 dioxane rules that critics say allow polluters to police themselves

By Charlie Fossen | Port City Daily | January 2, 2025

Read the full article by Charlie Fossen (Port City Daily)

"Next week, the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission is scheduled to vote on new regulations for chemicals PFAS and 1,4-dioxane. The proposed “monitoring and minimization” rule would require industrial facilities to sample their wastewater and, if the compounds are detected, submit a plan to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality to reduce levels over time. However, it leaves out discharge limits and has some critics calling the rules “toothless.”

The vote, scheduled for Jan. 7 and 8 in Raleigh, represents a shift in strategy from 2024, when state scientists proposed setting hard caps on the concentration of chemicals allowed in the water. Under the current draft, there are no fixed numeric limits and no automatic civil penalties for facilities who continue to discharge the chemicals, provided they are following a state-approved minimization plan."

This content provided by the PFAS Project.