USEPA Granted Request to Lift Stay in PFAS NPDWR Litigation
On July 22, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals (USCA) for the District of Columbia granted a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) request to lift the stay in litigation (USCA Case #24-1193; Document #2126755) concerning a lawsuit challenging the National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) for PFAS. The NPDWR was issued by USEPA in April 2024 and set maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for six PFAS in drinking water. The USCA ordered involved parties “to submit a proposed schedule and format for the completion of briefing” by August 1, 2025. The July 22 approval follows four previous stays in litigation beginning on February 7, 2025.
USEPA Granted Additional Stay in CERCLA PFAS Litigation
On July 3, 2025, the USCA for the District of Columbia granted a USEPA request for a 45-day extension (USCA Case #24-1193; Document #2123879) related to litigation contesting the designation of PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances under Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). USEPA designated PFOS, PFOA, and their salts and structural isomers as hazardous substances in April 2024 under CERCLA. The July 3 extension follows previous stays in litigation beginning on February 24, 2025.
Proposed USEPA Budget Cuts May Impact PFAS Cleanups
In June 2025, the USEPA released its Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Justification. In the proposed budget, USEPA included funding to address PFAS contamination “through Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act cleanups, research into toxicity values and analytical methods, as well as the Toxic Substances Control Act reporting program and the Effluent Limitation Guidelines program, among others.” However, USEPA stated that it plans to decrease the Hazardous Substance Superfund budget from $537.7 million to $282.7 million, remove the Superfund Remedial program budget, previously $187.8 million, and cut the federal facilities cleanup budget from $26.2 million to $21.6 million.
Lawmakers Propose Bill to Codify PFAS MCLs
On June 26, 2025, House Resolution (HR) 4168 was introduced by PFAS Task Force co-chairs Representative Debbie Dingell and Representative Brian Fitzpatrick. HR 4168 aims to codify the National Primary Drinking Water Regulation MCLs established for six PFAS under the Safe Drinking Water Act in April 2024:
HR 4168 was introduced in response to a May 14, 2025 announcement from USEPA outlining its intentions to keep the MCLs for PFOS and PFOA, but rescind those for PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA, and PFBS. Representative Fitzpatrick stated that the goal of this bill was to ensure that “these standards [the PFAS MCLs] remain durable, enforceable, and insulated from future regulatory uncertainty or reversal”.
California Publishes New and Updated PFAS Environmental Screening Levels
On July 18, 2025, the California San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board announced finalized and new environmental screening levels (ESLs) for 16 PFAS in groundwater and soil. Included are finalized ESLs for PFOA and PFOS as well as new ESLs for 14 additional PFAS. Up-to-date ESLs can be found in the 2025 ESL Summary Tables. The finalized ESL values for PFOS and PFOA were changed and are generally lower than interim final ESL values released in 2020. The soil ESLs consider exposure to residents, construction workers, commercial/industrial workers, and terrestrial habitats, while the groundwater ESLs consider human and aquatic habitat exposures. ESLs are commonly used to help assess potential PFAS impacts to human health and the environment.
Australian Schedule 7 Listing for PFAS Goes into Effect
On July 1, 2025, the Australian Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management Standard (IChEMS) Register published a Schedule 7 classification for PFOS, PFOA, and PFHxS. Chemicals classified under Schedule 7 are those deemed “likely to cause serious or irreversible harm to the environment with no essential uses.” The IChEMS Register prohibits PFOS, PFOA, and PFHxS from being imported, exported, manufactured, or used, except in specific circumstances. These exemptions include situations where PFAS are imported under a hazardous waste permit, for research or laboratory purposes, only present as an unintentional trace contaminant, or in an article that was in use on or before July 1, 2025. Entities using PFOS, PFOA, or PFHxS must also notify IChEMS about the nature and size of any stockpile and manage those stockpiles to minimize risk of release to the environment. Specific to Schedule 7 listed chemicals, Australian states and territories must adopt IChEMS restrictions individually, which currently only Queensland and New South Wales have done for PFAS.
Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Releases Updated Drinking Water Guidelines for PFAS
On June 25, 2025, the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council released updated health-based guideline values for PFAS in drinking water. The revised drinking water guideline (DWG) values reflect a more conservative approach to managing long-term exposure risks associated with PFAS. Key changes include revision of the health-based guideline values for the following compounds:
These updates follow public comments on 2024 draft guidelines. The guidelines are non-enforceable and are intended for use by Australian water supply and management agencies.
Danish Environmental Protection Agency Bans PFAS-Forming Pesticide Ingredients
On July 7, 2025, the Danish Ministry of the Environment’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the withdrawal of 23 pesticide products previously approved for use due to concerns about the formation and leaching of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) into groundwater following application. The six active ingredients in these pesticides that may form TFA include fluazinam, fluopyram, diflufenican, mefentrifluconazole, tau-fluvalinate, and flonicamid. A ban on the sale of pesticides containing these active ingredients will take effect on August 30, 2025, and a ban on their use or possession will take effect on December 31, 2025. Ten additional pesticide products are currently under review, with a decision on their status expected later this year. According to the Danish EPA, the decision to ban these pesticides is based on monitoring data indicating increasing levels of TFA in drinking water sources, as well as a cost-benefit analysis that prioritized groundwater protection.
Geosyntec PFAS Webinar Series
Geosyntec hosted a PFAS webinar series showcasing a thorough synthesis of the state of knowledge on the management of PFAS-impacted sites. Subject matter experts from Geosyntec and the broader stakeholder community discussed key PFAS technical, regulatory, and legal issues.
To view webinar recordings of this six-part PFAS series as well as other archived PFAS webinars, visit Geosyntec PFAS Webinar Series.
Questions?
If you have any questions or would like to discuss how PFAS may impact your business, please email pfas@geosyntec.com to be connected with one of our PFAS technical experts.