The Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday that it plans to ease limits on some so-called forever chemicals in drinking water that were finalized last year, while maintaining standards for two common ones.

The Biden administration set the first federal drinking water limits for PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, based on findings that they increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and babies being born with low birth weight. Those limits on PFAS, which are man-made and don’t easily break down in nature, were expected to reduce their levels in drinking water for millions of people.

The move comes as Maine is working to find and remove PFAS contamination in residential wells, including by installing filters in private homes. In many cases, the groundwater was contaminated because of a state-sanctioned practice of spreading sewage sludge as a fertilizer on farm fields.

While Maine has one of the most strict safety standards for drinking water in the country, the federal contamination threshold adopted last year was much lower.

The change also comes as Maine works to reduce the impact of a catastrophic spill of PFAS-containing firefighting foam at the former Brunswick Naval Air Station in August 2024 and prevent a similar incident in the future. The spill released 1,450 gallons of aqueous film-forming foam, or AFFF, containing a toxic PFAS chemical known as PFOS, mixed with 50,000 gallons of water.

With this new development, limits on three types of PFAS will be scrapped and reconsidered by the U.S. EPA, as will a limit on a mixture of several types of PFAS, according to the Associated Press.

The Biden administration also set standards for the two common types of PFAS, referred to as PFOA and PFOS, at 4 parts per trillion, effectively the lowest level at which they can be reliably detected. The EPA will keep those standards in place, but give utilities two extra years — until 2031 — to comply and treat for the chemicals.

“We are on a path to uphold the agency’s nationwide standards to protect Americans from PFOA and PFOS in their water. At the same time, we will work to provide common-sense flexibility in the form of additional time for compliance,” said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin.

The development was first reported by The Washington Post.

A bill introduced to the Maine legislature last week would require the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to communicate the most stringent standards available on PFAS contamination, whether that standard comes from the state or the federal government.

According to a news release from Maine Rep. Poppy Arford, D-Brunswick, when the Brunswick spill occurred, the DEP distributed materials that cited the state’s PFOS standard in drinking water of 20 parts per trillion, although the U.S EPA standard was stricter, at 4 parts per trillion at the time. The bill, LD 1786, would require the DEP to share the strictest limit with the public on its website and directly with well owners who may be impacted.

Brunswick lawmakers have also backed three bills intended to prevent another accidental release of AFFF. The bills call for a statewide foam inventory (LD 400); a state-run voluntary foam collection, storage and disposal program (LD 222); and removal of foam concentrate that remains at the former Brunswick Naval Air Station (LD 407).

David Page, Bowdoin College professor of chemistry and biochemistry emeritus and secretary of the Brunswick Area Citizens for a Safe Environment, said that regulation rollbacks indicate the EPA’s hesitancy to put environmental concerns over industry interests.

“I’m somewhat relieved that the people in Washington haven’t rescinded the superfund classification for PFAS and PFOA,” Page said. “What concerns me is the lack of scientific approach and lack of evidence-based regulation from Washington means that it’s probably not likely that equally dangerous PFAS species will end up on the superfund list.”

It appears few utilities will be affected by the withdrawal of limits for certain newer types of PFAS. So far, sampling has found nearly 12% of U.S. water utilities are above the Biden administration’s limits. But the vast majority of utilities face problems with PFOA or PFOS.

Health advocates praised the Biden administration for the tight limits. But water utilities took issue with the rule, saying treatment systems are expensive to install and that customers will end up paying more for water. The utilities sued the EPA.

The EPA’s actions align with some of the arguments utilities made in their lawsuit. They argued that the EPA lacked the authority to regulate a mixture of PFAS and said the agency didn’t properly support limits on several newer types of PFAS that are now rescinded. They also asked for the now-granted two-year extension.

Erik Olson, a senior strategic director of health at the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council, said the move is illegal. The Safe Water Drinking Act gives the EPA authority to limit contaminants in drinking water and it includes a provision meant to prevent new rules from being looser than previous ones.

“With a stroke of the pen, EPA is making a mockery of the Trump administration’s promise to deliver clean water for Americans,” Olson said.

Material from the Associated Press was incorporated into this story.