I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5539 
To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to 
review and develop effluent standards, pretreatment standards, and water 
quality criteria for PFAS under the Federal Water Pollution Control 
Act, to provide Federal grants to publicly owned treatment works to 
implement standards, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 3, 2020 
Mr. PAPPAS (for himself, Mr. DELGADO, Mr. ROUDA, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mrs. 
NAPOLITANO, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. 
LYNCH, Mr. NEAL, Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania, Ms. 
SLOTKIN, Mrs. LAWRENCE, and Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Trans-
portation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protec-
tion Agency to review and develop effluent standards, 
pretreatment standards, and water quality criteria for 
PFAS under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, 
to provide Federal grants to publicly owned treatment 
works to implement standards, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Clean Water Standards 
for PFAS Act of 2020’’. 
SEC. 
2. 
CLEAN 
WATER 
ACT 
EFFLUENT 
STANDARDS, 
PRETREATMENT STANDARDS, AND WATER 
QUALITY CRITERIA FOR PFAS. 
(a) REVIEW AND REGULATION OF SUBSTANCES AND 
SOURCES.— 
(1) REVIEW.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—As soon as practicable, 
but not later than September 30, 2021, and bi-
ennially thereafter, the Administrator shall pub-
lish in the Federal Register a plan under sub-
section (m) of section 304 of the Federal Water 
Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1314) that 
contains the results of a review, conducted in 
accordance with such section, of the introduc-
tion 
or 
discharge 
of 
perfluoroalkyl 
and 
polyfluoroalkyl substances from classes and cat-
egories of point sources (other than publicly 
owned treatment works). 
(B) INCLUSIONS.—The Administrator shall 
include in each plan published pursuant to sub-
paragraph (A)— 
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(i) information on potential introduc-
tion or discharges of perfluoroalkyl and 
polyfluoroalkyl substances; 
(ii) any information gaps on such in-
troduction or discharges and the process 
by which the Administrator will address 
such gaps; 
(iii) 
for 
each 
measurable 
perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl sub-
stance that is not on the list of toxic pol-
lutants described in section 307(a) of the 
Federal Water Pollution Control Act, a de-
termination, in accordance with the re-
quirements of such section, whether or not 
to add the substance to such list; and 
(iv) a determination, in accordance 
with the requirements of the Federal 
Water Pollution Control Act, whether or 
not to establish effluent limitations and 
pretreatment standards for the introduc-
tion or discharge of each substance de-
scribed in clause (iii) that the Adminis-
trator determines under such clause not to 
add to such list and for which the Admin-
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istrator has not developed such limitations 
or standards. 
(2) REGULATION.—Based on the results of 
each review conducted under paragraph (1) and in 
accordance with the requirements of the Federal 
Water Pollution Control Act, the Administrator 
shall— 
(A) in accordance with the plan published 
under paragraph (1), as soon as practicable— 
(i) for each measurable perfluoroalkyl 
and polyfluoroalkyl substance that the Ad-
ministrator determines under paragraph 
(1)(B)(iii) to add to the list of toxic pollut-
ants described in section 307(a) of such 
Act, initiate the process for adding the 
substance to such list; and 
(ii) for each measurable perfluoroalkyl 
and polyfluoroalkyl substance that the Ad-
ministrator determines under paragraph 
(1)(B)(iv) to establish effluent limitations 
and pretreatment standards, establish such 
effluent 
limitations 
and 
pretreatment 
standards (which limitations and standards 
may be established by substance or by 
class or category of substances); and 
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(B) not later than 1 year after the date on 
which each plan is published under paragraph 
(1), publish human health water quality criteria 
for 
measurable 
perfluoroalkyl 
and 
polyfluoroalkyl substances and classes and cat-
egories of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl 
substances for which the Administrator has not 
published such criteria. 
(b) DEADLINES
FOR COVERED PERFLUOROALKYL 
SUBSTANCES.— 
(1) WATER QUALITY CRITERIA.—Not later than 
2 years after the date of enactment of this section, 
the Administrator shall publish in the Federal Reg-
ister human health water quality criteria for each 
covered perfluoroalkyl substance. 
(2) 
EFFLUENT
LIMITATIONS
AND 
PRETREATMENT STANDARDS FOR PRIORITY INDUS-
TRY CATEGORIES.—As soon as practicable, but not 
later than 4 years after the date of enactment of 
this section, the Administrator shall publish in the 
Federal Register a final rule establishing, for each 
priority industry category, effluent limitations and 
pretreatment standards for the introduction or dis-
charge of each covered perfluoroalkyl substance. 
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perfluorooctanoic acid, perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, 
or a salt associated with perfluorooctanoic acid or 
perfluorooctane sulfonic acid. 
(3) EFFLUENT LIMITATION.—The term ‘‘efflu-
ent limitation’’ means an effluent limitation under 
section 301(b) of the Federal Water Pollution Con-
trol Act (33 U.S.C. 1311). 
(4) INTRODUCTION.—The term ‘‘introduction’’ 
means the introduction of pollutants into treatment 
works, as described in section 307(b) of the Federal 
Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1317). 
(5) MEASURABLE.—The term ‘‘measurable’’ 
means, with respect to a chemical substance or class 
or category of chemical substances, capable of being 
measured using— 
(A) test procedures established under sec-
tion 304(h) of the Federal Water Pollution 
Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1314); or 
(B) any other analytical method developed 
by the Administrator. 
(6) PRETREATMENT
STANDARD.—The term 
‘‘pretreatment standard’’ means a pretreatment 
standard under section 307(b) of the Federal Water 
Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1317). 
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(7) PRIORITY INDUSTRY CATEGORY.—The term 
‘‘priority industry category’’ means the following 
point source categories: 
(A) Organic chemicals, plastics, and syn-
thetic fibers, as identified in part 414 of title 
40, Code of Federal Regulations. 
(B) Pulp, paper, and paperboard, as iden-
tified in part 430 of title 40, Code of Federal 
Regulations. 
(C) Textile mills, as identified in part 410 
of title 40, Code of Federal Regulations. 
(8) TREATMENT WORKS.—The term ‘‘treatment 
works’’ has the meaning given that term in section 
212 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 
U.S.C. 1292). 
(9) WATER
QUALITY
CRITERIA.—The term 
‘‘water quality criteria’’ means criteria for water 
quality under section 304(a)(1) of the Federal 
Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1314). 
Æ 
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