The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a major proposal aimed at easing the regulatory burden on businesses while maintaining oversight of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often called “forever chemicals.” The move revises reporting rules under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to make them more practical, implementable, and less duplicative. 

The proposal comes after widespread criticism of a 2023 Biden-era regulation that required manufacturers and importers of PFAS between 2011 and 2022 to submit detailed data on exposure, environmental, and health effects. The rule, which industry experts said carried nearly $1 billion in compliance costs, faced scrutiny for unclear implementation guidelines and IT failures that hampered reporting. Critics argued the rule imposed disproportionate burdens on small businesses while producing little measurable environmental benefit. 

The proposal is grounded in commonsense and the law, allowing us to collect the information we need to help combat PFAS contamination without placing ridiculous requirements on manufacturers, especially the small businesses that drive our country’s economy, said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. 

Under the new proposal, the EPA would retain essential reporting requirements while exempting certain activities that manufacturers are least likely to track. Exemptions would include PFAS in mixtures or products at concentrations of 0.1% or lower, imported articles, certain byproducts, impurities, research and development chemicals, and non-isolated intermediates. The agency also plans technical corrections to clarify reporting fields and adjust submission timelines. 

EPA officials said the changes align with Administrator Zeldin’s “Powering the Great American Comeback” initiative, which emphasizes regulatory relief, cost reduction, and predictable rules for industry. According to the agency, the revisions would reduce unnecessary reporting while ensuring it still receives the most relevant PFAS data to guide environmental and public health decisions. 

“The Biden-era rule would have imposed crushing regulatory burdens and nearly $1 billion in implementation costs on American businesses,” Zeldin said. “Our proposed improvements strike the right balance: collecting necessary information without overburdening manufacturers, particularly small businesses and article importers.” 

The proposed amendments are open for public comment, as the EPA continues to refine PFAS oversight under TSCA, a key tool in monitoring and controlling chemical risks in the U.S.