A committee of the NC Environmental Commission (NCEMC) is proposing water standards that are being opposed by a wide-ranging group of business and industry leaders.
The issue involves the accelerated cleanup of so-called “forever chemicals” from contaminated land and groundwater. While lawmakers in the United States and Europe consider how to restrict PFAS usage, experts are already engaged in the process of removing “forever chemicals” from contaminated land and groundwater. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are increasingly linked to several serious health conditions. These chemicals have long been used in a wide range of household and industrial products including firefighting foams, textiles and paints. When emitted in production and waste streams, PFAS bioaccumulate in the environment and can enter the human food chain.
In a September 5th
joint letter to the NCEMC’s Water Quality Committee, the business groups noted that the business and regulated community support the accelerated cleanup of PFAS “based on the best science and risk management,” adding: “However, our communities have been maligned on this issue by the regulators, with suggestions that our request for a more science-based approach to this process will cause illness and even death. These suggestions are inappropriately inflammatory.”
The letter also noted: “The public should have the opportunity to weigh in on the benefits and costs associated with these regulations and the current fiscal note does not provide a true analysis of the impact on the public and/or the regulated community.”
In addition to CAGC, the groups who signed the letter include the Carolinas Asphalt Pavement Association, the NC Chamber and the NC Home Builders Association.
For more information on this issue, contact Victor Barbour (
vbarbour@carolinasagc.org).