Ohio: HB815

Bill Summary

Ohio HB 815 requires the director of environmental protection to establish maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for drinking water and matching water quality standards for state waters, targeting PFAS ("forever chemicals"), Chromium-6, and 1,4-dioxane. For PFAS, the director must set individual limits for combined total PFAS, PFOA, and PFOS, plus any other PFAS compounds deemed necessary. All standards must be grounded in peer-reviewed science, other states' regulations, and federal toxicological data, with explicit protections built in for pregnant women, nursing mothers, infants, and children. Standards can never be weaker than existing federal EPA levels or health advisories, and the director must review and update them annually to keep pace with new research. The bill also exempts this specific rulemaking from a standard procedural review requirement, allowing the state to implement stronger protections without unnecessary delay.

Why It Matters to MAHA

MAHA supports this bill because it prioritizes transparency in environmental health hazards and expands access to clean drinking water. PFAS, Chromium-6, and 1,4 dioxane are persistent environmental contaminants with documented health risks that many families are unknowingly exposed to through tap water, compromising informed consent about what they consume. By requiring the state to establish science-based safety standards grounded in peer-reviewed research rather than outdated federal baselines, this bill gives Ohio residents cleaner water and access to better health information. The expedited rule-making process removes unnecessary regulatory delays that protect polluters at the expense of public health.