MADISON – The Trump administration has issued its plan for addressing “forever chemicals” across the country, but environmental groups warn that the actions outlined could be disingenuous and fail to protect people from the toxic chemicals.

The Environmental Protection Agency on April 28 issued its plan to address PFAS, saying it would work with states to ensure that drinking water is protected and cleaned up from the toxic chemicals.

But Wisconsin environmental advocates worry that President Donald Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin are only trying to give the appearance of taking hard actions against polluters who release the compounds into the environment.

Here’s what you should know.

More: PFAS in a Wisconsin prison’s water brings a call for a pricey solution, leaves inmates with questions

EPA lists steps in addressing PFAS

The agency listed areas researchers and scientists hope to work to address PFAS, including:

• Designating an agency lead for PFAS.
• Implementing a testing strategy.
• Launching efforts to collect air-related PFAS information.
• Ramping up testing methods.
• Developing wastewater standards.
• Investigating immediate PFAS dangers using the Safe Drinking Water Act.
• Working with Congress to establish a liability framework.
• Advancing remediation and cleanup for public water systems.
• Assisting states and tribes with enforcement action.
• Supporting investigations into violations to hold polluters accountable.

The list shows a robust desire to address PFAS, without harming industry or small businesses that may utilize the contaminants, the EPA says.

“…we are tackling PFAS from all of EPA’s program offices, advancing research and testing, stopping PFAS from getting into drinking water systems, holding polluters accountable, and providing certainty for passive receivers,” Zeldin said in a news release. “This is just a start of the work we will do on PFAS to ensure Americans have the cleanest air, land, and water.” 

More: Bottled water offered to 50 more Peshtigo residents. Well water contains ‘forever chemicals.’

Trump’s EPA has already rolled back some protections

Some are already skeptical of the suggestions the agency proposed.

In particular, the desire to address PFAS in wastewater is puzzling, given that the Trump administration halted the rule proposed by the Biden administration in the first few days after Trump took office.

Tony Wilkin Gibart, the executive director for Midwest Environmental Advocates, said he sees the new guidance as an attempt to be perceived as an administration responding to the issue.

“But the wild and the chaotic actions of the administration show that the Trump EPA is not serious about governing or about addressing this issue or taking responsibility for the enormous challenges that we face with issues like PFAS contamination,” he said.

The administration has also cast doubt on whether it will defend the drinking water standards that were put into place by the Biden administration. According to a report from the New York Times, industry groups sued over the rules, calling them “unattainable” and “onerous.” The EPA has until May 12 to decide on the lawsuit and whether it wants to defend the rules.

“I think the change in tone is interesting,” Wilkin Gibart said of the PFAS action announcement.

More: DNR board launches steps toward PFAS standards in groundwater for a third time

Wisconsin environmental advocates worry

Wilkin Gibart highlighted the Trump administration’s recent layoffs of thousands of staff members at federal agencies, including the EPA.

“If the EPA is burnt to the ground and there are fewer scientists to do the work of understanding the risk from PFAS compounds or future emerging contaminants, we in Wisconsin and everywhere across the country will be worse off,” he said.

Amy Barrilleaux, the communications director for Clean Wisconsin, shared similar concerns. In particular, she is worried that scientific research on PFAS may not be independent after the mass layoffs.

“The big fear is that it’s not going to be independent research,” she said. “Whoever is going to replace the scientists who’ve been fired from these boards may not be independent.”

Wilkin Gibart also pointed out that many actions listed are already required under law, like adding PFAS to the Toxic Release Inventory.

“In some cases, the bullet points say that the administration will restart efforts that they abruptly ended over the last few months,” he said. “But they’re going to be restarting with far fewer staff and a decreased ability to move any of these things forward.”

More: How a case before the Wisconsin Supreme Court could hamper the Tyco PFAS charges

What about the paper straw ban?

Another move Trump made quickly after taking office was to ban paper straws, saying they were a “pulpy, soggy mess that torments too many of our citizens.” The document also pointed to PFAS as an issue in paper straws, according to the New York Times.

Though Zeldin has said the science on PFAS is “not yet settled,” the paper straw ban documents outlined how the chemicals are harmful to human health, taking a much firmer stance.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of health and human services, has pledged to work toward removing PFAS in the food system, another potentially proactive step.

More: Great Lakes, PFAS, lead pipes: How Trump’s policies could impact Wisconsin’s environment

Wisconsin is uniquely positioned to handle PFAS even without federal standards

If the EPA and Zeldin decide not to defend the PFAS standards at the federal level, Wisconsin will be uniquely situated to continue its work on protecting residents from the chemicals.

The state implemented standards at 70 parts per trillion in drinking water in 2022 and a requirement for routine testing of public water systems. Surface water and fish are regularly tested throughout the state to ensure safety for those who harvest and consume fish.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has also proposed groundwater standards and is working to update the drinking water standards to lower numbers, based on new science showing that even small amounts of PFAS can impact humans.

Those updated standards should be moved forward in the process of setting new rules, Barrilleaux said, because they will help protect Wisconsinites, no matter what happens at the federal level.

“We want the most protective standard that we can have,” she said.

More: Wisconsinites have lower blood PFAS levels than found in other states, new study finds

What are PFAS?

PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a family of man-made chemicals used for their water- and stain-resistant qualities in products like clothing and carpet, nonstick cookware, packaging and firefighting foam.

The family includes 5,000 compounds, which are persistent, remaining both in the environment and human body over time.  The chemicals have been linked to types of kidney and testicular cancers, lower birth weights, harm to immune and reproductive systems, altered hormone regulation and altered thyroid hormones.

Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on X @SchulteLaura.