PFAS and Emerging Contaminants

U.S. EPA is withdrawing its proposed rule to list nine PFAS as RCRA hazardous constituents.  U.S.EPA announced the withdrawal in the Federal Register on May 8, 2026.  In announcing the withdrawal, U.S.EPA stated the proposed rule is not necessary since “existing regulations provide the tools to develop protective permit conditions, when necessary, without the

As we have previously reported here and here,  the New Jersey Department of Environment Protection (NJDEP) announced settlements with 3M and DuPont and its related companies (the DuPont Entities) valued together at $2.5 billion to resolve state-wide PFAS claims.  NJDEP moved to enter the settlements, embodied in Judicial Consent Orders (“JCOs”), in November 2025

As we’ve discussed in a prior post, among states that have enacted statutory restrictions on sales of products containing intentionally added PFAS, New Mexico has been unique in crafting an exemption for fluoropolymers, which were carved out from the reporting requirements and the phased sales ban found in the Per- and Poly-Fluoroalkyl Substances Protection

We previously reported that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and two other trade groups are challenging EPA’s designation of PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances under the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”). The D.C. Circuit heard oral argument on January 20, 2026. As discussed below, the litigants filed a series of