Georgia awarded $25 million for PFAS cleanup amid EPA rule rollbacks

The Environmental Protection Agency announced in May that Georgia would receive more than $25 million in grants to address PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals.”

The announcement came shortly after the agency weakened federal drinking water protections for the toxic compounds.

Documentation shows that Georgia has had evidence of PFAS contamination for nearly two decades.

Maria Doa, senior director of chemical policy at the Environmental Defense Fund, said even a small amount of PFAS can be dangerous.

“They’re extremely bad,” Doa said. “They cause so many different harms to the body at extremely low levels. And the other thing is many of these PFAS build up in your body and stay there for a long time.”

Since the 1970s, the carpet industry in northwest Georgia has relied on the chemicals for stain resistance. In 2008, University of Georgia testing found “staggeringly high” levels of PFAS in the Conasauga River, which supplies drinking water to the area.

With the EPA planning to roll back drinking water limits on four PFAS, Doa said the administration is putting industry profits ahead of the health of the public.

“This is part of a coordinated approach to roll back protections,” Doa said. “And a lot of the people at EPA are former industry chemical lobby people who are there, and are integral to rolling back these regulations.”

Written comments can be submitted to the EPA about the rollback until July 20 at regulations.gov, and a virtual public hearing is scheduled for July 7.