Gila Herald Staff Reports
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) joined Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and 24 other Democratic colleagues this week in urging the Environmental Protection Agency to withdraw a proposed rule that would roll back federal drinking water protections for toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
If finalized, the EPA’s proposal would rescind the 2024 National Primary Drinking Water Regulations for certain PFAS compounds and delay compliance deadlines for PFOA and PFOS limits from 2029 to 2031.
In a letter sent to the agency, lawmakers argued that removing these limits poses significant public health risks nationwide. PFAS exposure has been linked to severe health issues, including kidney and testicular cancer, liver damage, thyroid disease, immune suppression, developmental harm, and pregnancy complications.
“Safe drinking water is not a partisan issue,” the senators wrote in their letter. “Families across the country expect that when they turn on the tap, their water is safe to drink. Congress enacted the Safe Drinking Water Act to ensure EPA relies on the best available science to protect public health—not to weaken existing protections once the science has been established.”
The senators pointed out a contradiction between the administration’s stated “Make America Healthy Again” agenda and the proposed rule, warning that weakening drinking water standards undermines efforts to safeguard public health.
“As far back as the 1950s, scientists observed that PFAS compounds could accumulate in human bloodstreams,” the senators continued. “It took decades of advocacy and heroic scientific research to reach the historic moment in 2024 when EPA finally promulgated the very first national drinking water standards for PFAS compounds. We cannot afford to go backwards and make Americans’ health worse.”
Kelly’s signature on the letter builds on an ongoing push to address water contamination across Arizona. In April 2025, Kelly introduced bipartisan legislation to help states address PFAS contamination in private water wells. He has also consistently pressured military officials over cleanup delays at defense sites across Arizona, most recently in July 2026, pressing the Department of Defense for answers.
Joining Kelly and Schiff on the letter were Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Ranking Member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) along with Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Edward Markey (D-MA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Gary Peters (D-MI), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jack Reed (D-RI), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Cory Booker (D-NJ).
