[Press Release] Attorney General Bonta Co-leads Amicus Brief Defending Nationwide PFAS “Forever Chemicals” Drinking Water Standards

January 17, 2025

Read the full article by California Attorney General Rob Bonta

"California Attorney General Rob Bonta today co-led a coalition of 17 states in filing an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit defending a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule establishing the first nationwide drinking water standards for certain toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The federal rule establishes enforceable standards for six PFAS chemicals: PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, GenX, PFNA, and PFBS. In order to protect the public from the dangers of consuming PFAS in drinking water, the rule sets regulations for the chemicals individually and as mixtures, recognizing appropriately that the threat from each chemical cannot be addressed in isolation. Under the rule, public water systems across the United States are required to test and, if necessary, treat drinking water for these toxic contaminants.

“Like many Americans across this country, we at the California Department of Justice have been greatly concerned about PFAS exposure,” said Attorney General Bonta. “We have been taking action to hold big PFAS manufacturers like 3M and DuPont accountable for continuing to produce PFAS for mass use despite knowing their harmfulness and concealing those harms from the public. We are also supporting federal efforts such as this rule to safeguard Americans from PFAS in their drinking water supply. These efforts are critical, and that’s why I, alongside attorneys general nationwide, am asking the Court to uphold this rule that comprehensively addresses the pervasive threat posed by PFAS in our drinking water.”