Thank you to everyone who has already submitted comments on the Lear permit! This is the first of many permits that should include PFAS limits, but do not. If this permit is approved as is, it sets a dangerous precedent for all North Carolinians.
We are pushing NCDEQ to use their existing authority to set technology based effluent limits on PFAS dischargers. The Clean Water Act requires that all discharged pollutants be disclosed in permits, however NCDEQ is only requiring disclosure if current data exists to show that PFAS is present. New sampling is not required. Additionally, the Clean Water Act gives authority to states to set limits on dischargers based on what existing technology is available to feasibly limit the pollutant loads. NCDEQ has yet to use this authority to set limits on PFAS dischargers, thought EPA has released guidance for states to use in order to regulate these pollutants.
If you have not submitted a comment yet, please do so! https://actionnetwork.org/letters/act-now-on-bellweather-pfas-permit-deq-draft-has-no-limits?clear_id=true We are already hearing from NCDEQ leadership that they have received hundreds of comments on this permit, and they are taking notice.
