The rule in question designated two types of these chemicals as "hazardous substances," giving the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) more authority to clean up their contamination and require polluters to pay for it.
In a court filing on Wednesday, lawyers for the Justice Department said the EPA "has reviewed the underlying rule and has decided to keep the Rule in place."
In a statement, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the Trump administration was seeking a balance between holding polluters accountable and not punishing the wrong companies.
In particular, he called on Congress to legislate exemptions for "passive receivers" that did not make the chemicals but receive them as feedstocks or waste
"When it comes to PFOA and PFOS contamination, holding polluters accountable while providing certainty for passive receivers that did not manufacture or generate those chemicals continues to be an ongoing challenge," Zeldin said in a written statement, referring to the two "forever chemicals" to which the rule pertains.
"EPA intends to do what we can based on our existing authority, but we will need new statutory language from Congress to fully address our concerns with passive receiver liability," he added. "The Trump Administration is fully committed to ensuring all Americans have the cleanest air, land, and water.
The move to defend the Biden-era regulation was surprising to some, given other administration policies that loosen rules for toxic chemicals in favor of industry. The New York Times recently reported that a senior official had recommended scrapping the Biden-era rule.
"Forever chemicals," however, have become a major and pervasive problem across the U.S. — contaminating a large number of waterways and found to be in the bloodstream of virtually every American.
They've also come under particular scrutiny from the "Make America Healthy Again" movement, with which the Trump administration is aligned.
Read more at TheHill.com.
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