Pentagon is panicking over Biden’s proposal that would increase water costs by $10,000 per household

Washington Examiner ^ | February 27, 2024 | Tiana Lowe Doescher

[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.

[GenXPolymath]

This is a case where these chemicals are actual toxins and pollutants in part per trillion doses. Why? Because humans bioaccumulate them they never leave your body via your kidneys. They should not only be banned every effort should be made to eliminate them in the water supply. The EPA is the reason we have the best air on earth and water too in America never forget that. Corporations would pollute at will for profits if they could and without the EPA we would be like China and the rest of Asia which I have spend a good bit of time in where the air and water is eye watering toxic. I might have some valid input here as a licenced Hydrogeologist in Texas and also a geochemist these chemicals need to be banned PFOAs and the like make plastic and coatings cheaper to make they are not critical you can use organics in their place.

[GenXPolymath]

PFAS and PFOAs have no place in our environment they exist to make the process cheaper for corporations to make plastics and coatings of plastics. Why the average person who has to drink the water and eat anything grown with that water defends those corporations is a classic case of cognitive dissonance. It amazes me when average barely middle class people defend tooth and nail corporations raking in profits on their backs. These chemicals also bioaccumulate in our livestock you eat them and you get another dose they are called forever chemicals for reason there is no biological process to eliminate them in any mammal or other organism. Some are as bad as the lefties as soon as they hear EPA they put their fingers in the ears and scream like a genZ orange man bad orange man bad it’s the same illogical response.

[Still Thinking]

Green weenies get to feel virtuous and superior. Oh wait....

[bitt]

p

[sweetiepiezer]

“Is it just me or has this been the longest most depressing 4 years ever. It’s as if this Biden @#$% will never end.”

Friend and I were just talking about this.

Worst last 3 years ever.

We both have aged and worried we are going to lose our sense of humor along with the country.

Stay safe.

[MinorityRepublican]

Why are we getting cancer all the time? Why do you see healthy young people like Chadwick Boseman dropping dead like flies? Something's not adding up. Our environment is harmful and we are dying because of it. We have all this data so perhaps we need to change what we are doing.

I'm not Greta. But maybe we need to do little things. Eat more organic food. Figure out how we can clean up the water supply. Use paper bags instead of plastic. Baby steps.

[blueyon]

“”Man made climate change is not only a hoax, it is perhaps the greatest con ever. Our politicians are all making money off this fraud.””
yep, I remember when they (Obama and friends) were called out and their scheme was stopped to do “cap and trade or carbon trading” on the Chicago climate exchange.

“”Why did Chicago Climate Exchange fail?
The Chicago Climate Exchange shut down because large investors were not interested in a voluntary market and had counted on U.S. legislation to enact a mandatory market”””

They realize they need another way they could profit so this is it. The left in my opinion is always scheming and the GOP goes alone with it unless conservative media catches on and starts reporting on it.

[vespa300]

Yes, next year can’t come fast enough......I know this too shall pass but dang.....it’s like it will never end.

Thanks, keep the faith.