The state of Michigan is a step closer to establishing the limits of PFAS in drinking water. PFAS is a family of chemicals that have been discovered in high levels in drinking water at sites across the state. Yesterday the Environmental Rules Review Committee voted to move the draft regulations forward. If approved, the new regulations will be among the strictest in the nation. The next step is a public comment period along with public hearings, which are expected to be announced before year's end.
In mid-October, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) announced it was moving forward with formal rule-making on limits for certain PFAS compounds in drinking water. Earlier this year, the Governor Gretchen Whitmer directed EGLE and the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART) to develop drinking water standards for PFAS contaminants.
Anthony Spaniola is a metro Detroit attorney who owns land on Van Etten Lake in Oscoda, one of the state's most prominent sites contaminated with PFAS. He's a member of the community group Need Our Water (NOW)— which advocates for an immediate and long-term water clean-up plan. Spaniola called the new draft rules "a step in the right direction."
This post was written by production assistant Catherine Nouhan
