In the absence of federal cleanup standards for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”) in groundwater, several states have started the process of regulating PFAS in groundwater themselves.  As a result, states have adopted a patchwork of regulations and guidance standards which presents significant compliance challenges to impacted industries.  This client alert explores the current landscape of state regulations regarding the guidance, notification, and cleanup levels for PFAS – typically perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (“PFOS”) and perfluorooctanoic acid (”PFOA”)  – in groundwater.

Federal Health Recommendations and Advisory

Although no legally binding standards have been issued at the federal level, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) has issued two influential documents:  (1) Interim Recommendations to Address Groundwater Contaminated with PFOA and PFOS; and (2) a Lifetime Drinking Water Health Advisory Level of 70 ppt for PFOS and PFOA.  While EPA’s health advisory level is non-binding, and is primarily intended to address drinking

In the absence of an enforceable federal per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”) drinking water standard, many states have embarked on the process of regulating PFAS compounds in drinking water.  The result is a patchwork of regulations and standards of varying stringency which presents significant operational and compliance challenges to impacted industries.  This client alert surveys the maximum contaminant levels (“MCLs”), as well as guidance and notification levels, for PFAS compounds – typically perfluorooctane sufonic acid (“PFOS”) and perflurooctanic acid (”PFOA”)  – in drinking water that have been enacted or proposed at the state level.

1. Federal Health Recommendations and Advisory

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) has issued a Lifetime Drinking Water Health Advisory Level of 70 ppt for PFOS and PFOA.  EPA’s Health Advisory is non-enforceable and non-regulatory, but is intended to provide technical information to state agencies and other public health officials on health effects, analytical methodologies,

As part of President Biden’s first executive actions, on January 21, 2021, the president ordered the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) to issue new science-based guidance to protect workers and enhance workplace health and safety during the Covid-19 pandemic. In compliance with this executive order, on January 29, 2021, OSHA issued new guidance to help employers better identify risks of being exposed to and/or contracting COVID-19 and to ascertain appropriate control measures employers can implement to address those risks. The guidance, titled “Protecting Workers: Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace,” (“Guidance”) contains advisory recommendations and reinforces already existing mandatory safety and health standards. This Alert provides an overview of this new federal Guidance and highlights important considerations for employers.

Legal Obligations of Employers in Responding to COVID-19

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, OSHA has referenced and leveraged the Occupational Safety and Health Act

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Act and its implementing regulations require employers to record certain work-related injuries and illnesses. Due to the prevalence of community transmission of COVID-19, deciding whether an employee’s COVID-19 illness is work-related, and therefore recordable, is more challenging than ever for employers. In addition to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) existing recordkeeping requirements found at 29 Part 1904, OSHA released an interim enforcement policy on April 10, 2020 (Enforcement Guidance for Recording Cases of COVID-19) (April 10 OSHA Guidance) clarifying that OSHA will exercise its enforcement discretion to interpret the recordkeeping requirements to mean that most employers (other than those in the healthcare, emergency response, and correctional institution industries) are only required to make a decision about whether an employee’s COVID-19 illness is work-related if there is objective evidence of such work-relatedness that is reasonably available to the employer. The following questions and answers aim