Thread by @RobAllenHF

THREAD: EPA's Nationwide PFAS Action Plan announcement: I'll be live-tweeting this announcement, and based on review of what has been released by @epa, this has all the makings of being a hot mess, something that many of us have feared...and expected. #pfas #pfos #pfoa

Reviewing the early announcements, there will be no MCL's set today, just "starting the process." This is the EXACT SAME LANGUAGE that was used to my face from one of the higher-ups in @EPA when I met with former Administrator Pruitt in May of 2018. Waste of the last 9 months.

At the 2018 PFAS National Leadership Summit in May, @EPA staff stated that the MCL process would take year to complete, possibly as long as a decade.

The vast majority of what @EPAAWheeler just announced already exists. The science, in particular for #PFOS and #PFOA, already exists. We know how to respond (and how not to) to the situation. There is so much literature out there related to this. This is very disappointing.

Someone should ask directly when the changes to the next UCMR that @EPAAWheeler mentioned will happen. I'm betting that is 3 years away, possibly more.

@EPAAWheeler just listed "local governments" as part of the groups involved in the PFAS National Leadership Summit. There was one local government rep there - me. The rest were county and state government agency representatives and members of the American Chemistry Council.

I challenge anyone to come up with one tangible thing that will make a difference RIGHT NOW with any of the ambiguities and issues that are being faced by local and state leaders, communities, and Department of Defense sites due to #pfas contamination.

@KyleBagenstose asked about the UCMR and which #PFAS compounds will be added to the program. No answer. Someone should ask when the next UCMR comes out. Someone should ask what the point is of including this in the "action" plan, when no action has been determined.

@EPAAWheeler just said that 70ppt is safe for drinking water. Just egregious and offensive. Science is clear on this. Every state who has looked into this (even the ATSDR) has suggested or set a lower standard. This is a slap in the face to any victim of #pfas contamination.

Missing from @EPAAWheeler's comments on Advisory Standards: the fact that every company and every branch of the military who is responsible for #pfas contamination has and will continue to point out the fact that there is no legally enforceable standard in drinking water.

This entire announcement has demonstrated the lack of guidance & leadership at the highest levels of @epa. When the country needed clear and tangible direction and guidelines on handling #pfas, we got a regurgitation of descriptor words with no clear action.

And now the @epa Regional Administrators, who likely have no say in policy, will have 90 minutes to prepare for a meeting and conference call where they will ALL be on the hot seat, defending an action plan with no actions in it. Patently unfair to them.