WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) –

A new rule proposed by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Environmental Management Commission would require companies to test for PFAS pollution and submit plans to reduce it, but wouldn’t create pollution limits or enforce penalties for contamination.

Regulators say it’s a step forward, but critics argue it’s dangerous and has no benefits.

“The proposed rule is preposterous,” said Dana Sargent, the executive director of Cape Fear River Watch. “It’s insulting. This is basically worse than doing nothing.”

The commission’s Water Quality Committee had asked DEQ staff to produce a PFAS minimization plan, which was presented last week and advanced by the committee. It applies to over 600 industrial sites, some of which discharge PFAS compounds.

“Reducing PFAS at the discharge source is the most cost-effective way to protect public health and lower the cost of meeting the federal drinking water standards,” an NCDEQ spokesperson wrote in an email. “We will continue to pursue ways to achieve that goal.”

PFAS chemicals, and their effects, are an ongoing issue in Southeastern North Carolina, affecting drinking water, firefighter gear, and the health of millions of people around the state. The chemicals are linked to a variety of serious health issues, including different types of cancer.

Sargent, whose brother died of cancer after years of PFAS exposure as a firefighter, said policymakers haven’t taken the issue seriously, and are now protecting companies instead of community members. Companies were given a large say in drafting the rule, she said.

“We’re at eight years,” Sargent said. “Our legislative offices have done nothing. Our regulatory agencies have done nothing. It’s beyond appalling – the inaction of this state on this issue.”

Earlier this year, after the Trump Administration withdrew a Biden-era proposal that would’ve limited PFAS discharge amounts, Clean Cape Fear Co-Founder Emily Donovan said the onus was on state leaders to create needed change on the issue. But she said she’s disappointed in their actions so far.

“This is dangerous,” Donovan said. “This is essentially giving a get-out-of-jail free card to polluters upstream of us.”

The proposed rule will be up for debate in May when DEQ puts forward a revised draft for further discussion.

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