California Attorney General Rob Bonta has joined a coalition of state attorneys general in submitting a comment letter opposing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed changes to reporting requirements for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The proposal, introduced during the Trump administration, would exempt certain entities from PFAS reporting obligations established by the Biden administration.
According to the letter, these exemptions would reduce the number of entities required to report by over 98 percent and limit data collection necessary for identifying sources and risks associated with PFAS contamination. The attorneys general argue that this change could hinder efforts to protect public health and the environment.
“With this illegal proposal, the Trump Administration’s EPA is choosing to put industry convenience over public health by ignoring the harms that toxic PFAS chemicals may pose,” said Attorney General Bonta. “American workers and communities deserve to know about the chemicals they’re being exposed to.”
PFAS are used in various consumer and industrial products such as food packaging, non-stick cookware, clothing, paints, cleaning products, electric vehicle batteries, microchips, renewable energy machinery, and firefighting foam. Research has linked exposure to PFAS with several health issues including cancer, developmental delays, infertility, immune system damage, liver disease, heart disease, and high cholesterol. These chemicals are persistent in the environment and have contaminated water supplies near airports, military facilities, manufacturing plants, landfills, and agricultural areas.
The attorneys general note that TSCA was enacted in 1976 to give EPA authority over chemical regulation for public safety. In 2019, Congress amended TSCA requiring EPA to collect information from PFAS manufacturers. The Biden administration’s EPA implemented a rule in 2023 mandating disclosure from any entity that manufactured PFAS between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2022.
The coalition contends that weakening these requirements would impede states’ ability to trace contamination sources and enforce accountability. They also claim it would deprive stakeholders of critical information about chemical uses that disproportionately affect workers and vulnerable communities.
Attorney General Bonta has previously prosecuted claims against major PFAS manufacturers including 3M and DuPont. He has co-led coalitions advocating for improvements in class action settlements related to water contamination by these companies. Additionally, he has supported stronger federal regulations under acts such as the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Bonta was joined on this comment letter by attorneys general from Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin.
The California Attorney General serves as the state’s chief law enforcement official within the executive branch of government. The office oversees law enforcement activities statewide—including legal representation and consumer protection—and advances initiatives on civil rights and environmental justice according to its official website. Rob Bonta leads this office according to official records.