Posted on 02/28/2024 9:21:22 AM PST by Twotone
Without so much as a whisper of pushback from Congress, the White House is bulldozing forward with a regulatory proposal that could cost the average household up to $10,000 extra in water costs. But it’s not only President Joe Biden‘s campaign that is scared of this latest forefront of the president’s green agenda — Biden’s own Pentagon is panicking over the proposal.
The World Health Organization now recommends that governments limit polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS or “forever plastics” that are resistant to breaking down in either the environment or the human body, at a level of 100 parts per trillion. This is the same level limited by the European Commission. Japan set a temporary PFAS limit of 50 ppt in 2020, and Sweden limits most PFAS at an average of 90 ppt. As far as more restrictive measures go, Canada is trying to lower its limit to 30 ppt, while Denmark is trying to ban PFAS in specific, isolated sectors such as in paper food packaging.
And then, there is America’s Environmental Protection Agency, which is trying to reduce its advisory limit of 70 ppt to a hard limit of 4 ppt for two prevalent types of PFAS, PFOA and PFOS, for all drinking water.
In other words, Biden would decrease the Obama administration’s suggested PFAS limit to a legal maximum by 94.3%. The new standard would be 4% of the WHO’s recommendation and less than one-tenth of 1% of that of Australia and New Zealand.
According to a Black & Veatch consulting report commissioned by the American Water Works Association, the EPA’s proposed standards would increase water costs by anywhere from $80 to $11,150 per year for each household. Contrary to the EPA’s estimate of $1 billion extra in annual costs added to water utilities, the AWWA argues the new standards would amount to $3.8 billion in new annual costs.
But according to the Pentagon, it’s not just household budgets that are at risk if this proposal succeeds — it’s also our national security.
“[The Department of Defense] is reliant on the critically important chemical and physical properties of PFAS to provide required performance for the technologies and consumable items and articles which enable military readiness and sustainment,” read a Pentagon report sent to Congress in August. “Losing access to PFAS due to overly broad regulations or severe market contractions would greatly impact national security and DoD’s ability to fulfill its mission.”
According to the DoD, PFAS are found in its infrastructure related to “information technology, critical manufacturing, health care, renewable energy, and transportation,” including within batteries, semiconductors, and most weaponry. Even before the EPA’s new standards come into effect, the Pentagon estimated it would require $39 billion to clean up PFAS contamination past the Obama-era recommendation. In total, nearly 3,000 private wells by 63 military bases are considered contaminated, with some combined levels of PFOS and PFOA at 10,000 ppt — or 2,500 times higher than what the EPA would allow under these new standards.
For reference regarding how uniquely stringent the proposed PFAS standards are, the EPA limits arsenic in water at 10 parts per billion and cyanide at 200 parts per billion. Thus the EPA is asking that taxpayers pay tens of billions of dollars to bring the prevalence of some plastics to a level less than a fraction of a percent of what we allow for literal poisons.
The White House Office of Regulatory Affairs is now reviewing the final rule. If it pushes the standards through prior to the Congressional Review Act deadline of May 22, this baseless standard will become law without so much as a peep from our so-called lawmakers.
I remember when the outgoing Clinton administration changed the rules for the amount of arsenic permitted to be in water. The new standards did not come into effect until Bush2 was in office. The arsenic percentages were so small that many towns were going to have their water supply in jeopardy. I wonder whatever happened with those standards.
Going to the wayback machine, Bush2 had to spend the entire beginning of his presidency being falsely attacked for wanting to poison people’s water. Then Sen Jeffords left the Republican Party and Republicans lost their majority in the Senate. Then Sept 11 and the world changed.
NOT a dumb question.
We have a well and I was wondering the same thing.
The Marxists (Democrats) will just blame the water companies for the higher costs. The private sector is always the fall guy for their regulatory tyranny’s consequences.
Wasn't the 2nd Amendment specifically aimed at this sort of abuse?
“I think we can already conclude that the average citizen does NOT have a spine and a brain. If they did, this country would not be moving toward Third World status at high speed.”
You have a valid point. However, it’s possible that what appears as stupidity and weak will is chronic distraction and the sense that it can’t happen here. When it does happen here, and it’s unambiguous that the government is the problem, maybe, just maybe some in the masses will awaken.
Bankrupting the country and leaving it vulnerable is Biden’s parting gift to us.
I can’t believe the way the dildoes living in this country allow that White Hut pedophile to stick it to them any time he wants to. Dildoes like Rep. Danny Goldman (D-RAT) cheer when Hunter sleazes his way out of every crime he commits.
As long as it only applies to the 81 million that voted for the Ice Cream 🍨. I don’t care.
Heck..beer is better than water.
Cherry pick a Trump appointed judge in a Republican state and get an injunction. Do what the Dems do.
None
I agree with the lagging days of Biden/Harris.
We have rainwater and a well but Billy Gates would probably seed the clouds over us not to rain!! They are fighting with God and His Kingdom so it’s whack-a-mole time!
The new arsenic standard was implemented after a delay in 2006. Permissible levels were reduced from 50ppb to 10ppb, the European standard and the same level the Clinton administration was trying to implement. (The EPA originally wanted 5ppb and I think the Bush administration was trying for 20ppb.)
As long as the executive branch is unconstitutionally allowed to make law then we will suffer unimaginable pain. The constitution basically says that those who make the laws are to be representative that we choose to represent us. Anything that runs amuck of that is unconstitutional. And congress has no right to delegate that responsibility to someone else. And the USSC has no right to say otherwise.
Good thinking, EVs do not need cooling water anyway.
There is no tyranny that cannot be justified by ‘climate change’
-fJRoberts-
A good example...
Wells aren’t a problem our the city/county. Our neighborhood just put one in to water the common area (a friggin waste of HOA dues!).
Septic, on the other hand...if the property is served by the county sewage system, new septic tanks are forbidden. Existing, functioning septics are grandfathered as long as they work. When they quit...you have to hookup to county service. “Straight piping” is absolutely forbidden.
Invest in urine recycling technology.
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