OMB Issues Guidance on PFAS Regulatory Rollbacks for Businesses
The OMB published updated clearance policies rolling back select PFAS restrictions, effective May 2026.
Why it matters: These changes affect how businesses manage PFAS compliance and corporate environmental risk. Legal and regulatory teams must adjust to new reporting deadlines and altered regulatory requirements, heightening the need for proactive compliance strategy.
- The EPA will delay compliance deadlines for PFAS standards in drinking water, extending the date for utilities to 2031.
- Limits on three PFAS types, including GenX, will be rescinded and re-evaluated due to procedural concerns.
- PFAS reporting under TSCA is now delayed to January 31, 2027, or 60 days after a forthcoming final rule.
- Exemptions for PFAS in mixtures below 0.1%, imported articles, and certain byproducts are included in the proposed TSCA rule revisions.
The EPA announced on May 7, 2026 plans to revise existing regulations governing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water. The revisions include a delay in compliance deadlines for utilities and a rollback of limits on three lesser-known PFAS types, including GenX. These changes stem from concerns over alleged procedural issues under the Safe Drinking Water Act during the previous administration.
While the EPA will maintain stringent standards for PFOA and PFOS—specifically, a limit of 4 parts per trillion—the compliance deadline for these chemicals has been pushed to 2031. According to EPA leadership, such moves are intended to ensure regulations are "legally defensible" and less vulnerable to judicial challenge.
- On April 13, 2026, the EPA finalized a rule delaying PFAS reporting under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to January 31, 2027, or 60 days after a forthcoming final rule’s effective date.
- The EPA’s November 2025 proposal to revise TSCA 8(a)(7) reporting allows exemptions for PFAS in concentrations of 0.1% or lower in mixtures or products, imported articles, certain byproducts, impurities, R&D chemicals, and non-isolated intermediates.
- Updated interim disposal guidance for PFAS was released April 28, 2026, introducing a new technology evaluation framework.
Legal and compliance teams across affected industries must closely monitor these regulatory shifts and adjust internal controls and disclosures, given the evolving regulatory timeline and substance coverage for PFAS-related risks.
By the numbers:
- 4 parts per trillion — EPA's maintained PFOA and PFOS standard in drinking water
- 2031 — Extended deadline for utility compliance with key PFAS standards
- January 31, 2027 — New TSCA reporting start date for certain PFAS
Yes, but: The timeline for EPA's re-evaluation of rescinded PFAS limits remains unclear, adding uncertainty for compliance planning.