US moves to exempt companies from reporting harmful chemical releases

The exemption allows companies to bypass an EPA law meant to address widespread contamination from perflourinated chemicals

Federal regulators are crafting an exemption for polluters releasing harmful perfluorinated chemicals (PFAS) into the environment in a way that environmental advocates say circumvents a new law meant to address widespread contamination.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a rule Monday adding 172 PFAS chemicals to a list of those that are required to report when they release them into the air or water, or on land.