White House Review Stalls EPA PFAS Wastewater Survey For Nearly Two Years
The White House Office of Management and Budget has blocked approval of the EPA's national PFAS wastewater and biosolids survey, leaving the review stalled for nearly two years, former EPA officials told PBS News.[1]
The survey was submitted to OMB in October 2024.[1] It is the EPA's first-of-its-kind national effort to identify industrial sources of PFAS entering wastewater plants and to measure PFAS in biosolids applied to farmland.[1]
Former OMB staffer Stuart Shapiro said typical information-collection reviews take about 60 days, making the nearly two-year delay "sufficiently unusual." PBS News The Trump EPA criticized a biosolids PFAS risk assessment for lacking a national occurrence study — the same kind of survey now awaiting OMB approval.[1]
EPA says it is working on rules to reduce PFAS in wastewater from certain manufacturers and has sought public input on PFAS in biosolids.[1] But EPA did not confirm that it supports the OMB survey, former officials told PBS News.[1]
The mainstream summary does not fully capture the urgency expressed by critics regarding the delay of the EPA's PFAS wastewater survey. Steve Sailer argues that the nearly two-year hold by the Office of Management and Budget represents not just bureaucratic inefficiency, but a significant obstruction that endangers public health and hampers necessary regulatory actions. He emphasizes that without this critical data, the EPA cannot establish credible regulations, which could leave communities and farmers at risk from industrial discharges and contaminated biosolids. This perspective highlights the broader implications of the delay, framing it as a harmful political maneuver rather than a mere administrative hiccup.
Moreover, while the summary mentions that the EPA is working on rules to reduce PFAS, it does not address the critical point raised by Sailer that these efforts are fundamentally undermined by the absence of a national occurrence study. The mainstream account presents the situation as a stalled process, but Sailer argues that it is a deliberate choice that shifts the burden onto the public, emphasizing the need for immediate action to rectify this oversight. This contrast underscores a deeper concern about the implications of bureaucratic delays on environmental health and regulatory effectiveness.
Show source details & analysis (1 source)
📌 Key Facts
- The EPA submitted its first-of-its-kind national PFAS influent and biosolids survey to the White House Office of Management and Budget in October 2024.
- Former OMB staffer Stuart Shapiro says such information collection reviews typically take about 60 days, making the nearly two-year lack of approval 'sufficiently unusual.'
- The survey is designed to identify industrial sources of PFAS entering wastewater plants and to generate national data on PFAS in biosolids used on agricultural land.
- The Trump EPA previously criticized a biosolids PFAS risk assessment for lacking a national occurrence study, the same type of survey now stalled at OMB.
- EPA states it is working on rules to reduce PFAS in wastewater from certain manufacturers and seeking public input on PFAS in biosolids, but did not confirm its support for the survey.
📊 Analysis & Commentary (1)
"The piece (apparently) criticizes the White House/OMB for stalling the EPA's national PFAS wastewater and biosolids survey and argues the delay is unacceptable — the author urges immediate approval and nationwide testing so regulators have the data needed to protect public health."
📰 Source Timeline (1)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time