The state Department of Environmental Quality is proposing groundwater standards for toxic chemicals known as PFAS.
During a meeting on Wednesday, the state Groundwater and Waste Management Committee did not hold a vote to move forward with these proposed standards.
This comes after NC Chamber — a business advocacy organization — asked DEQ in a letter to delay action on adopting groundwater standards for PFAS.
"We are asking for time to better understand the impacts of the proposed standards and how our state and the business community will meet them," NC Chamber President Gary Salamido wrote in the letter.
DEQ is proposing the Environmental Management Commission adopt groundwater standards for eight different types of PFAS, including PFOS, PFOA and GenX.
PFAS are harmful, man-made chemicals found in several household products and in North Carolina waterways, including the Haw River and the Cape Fear River. PFAS exposure has been linked to kidney cancer and increases in cholesterol levels.
These proposed standards must first clear the committee before it can be sent to the full Environmental Management Commission. The committee plans to wait until at least July to hold this vote.
In its letter dated April 22, Salamido and NC Chamber requested "that further research is done to understand how requirements established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) intersect with state statutes and an estimate of the cost to local government and the business community to comply with these proposed regulations."
About a month ago, the EPA announced the nation's first ever drinking water standards for six types of PFAS.
In a response letter to NC Chamber, DEQ Secretary Elizabeth Biser pushed back against needing more time. She pointed out that "DEQ has given informational presentations to [EMC] and its committees three times over the last six months to detail the proposed surface water and groundwater standards and their potential impacts."
"The EPA does not establish surface water and groundwater standards," added Biser. "Rather, EPA expects states to address surface water and groundwater standards, especially once a federal drinking water standard is finalized."
Regarding cost, Biser wrote "the less contamination that goes into a water supply, the less effort and expense required to take it out before it reaches a resident's faucet."
In a separate letter dated May 1, Biser expressed frustration at the situation.
"I was deeply disappointed to learn that the Groundwater & Waste Management Committee chair and vice-chair are refusing to hear the proposed groundwater standards for PFAS as an action item at the committee meeting in May and is asking for yet another informational presentation on this topic," said Biser. "An action item in May at the committee level would have contained sufficient information for the members to understand the fiscal impact of the proposed groundwater rule."
If the committee holds a vote in July, the full commission should hear the proposal in September. The standards could officially be adopted by March 2025.
