Charles J. Dennen

In the Legal Intelligencer article “An Update on the EPA's Recent Action Regarding PFAS” partner Charles Dennen provides a timely update on the EPA’s ongoing efforts to regulate PFAS under the Trump administration’s second term. Despite a general deregulatory stance in President Trump’s second term, the EPA under Administrator Lee Zeldin has shown continuity with the Biden-era PFAS policies. PFAS—persistent, harmful chemicals often found in water—remain a federal priority. The EPA recently announced 21 initiatives across three pillars:...

On May 14, 2025, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) announced significant developments in the enforcement of the National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) passed under the Biden Administration that established legally-enforceable Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water....

Following Vermont and New York’s enactment of a Climate Change Superfund Act, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts and California are proposing their own superfund laws, which Marc Rollo, Charlie Dennen and Grace Baccare discuss in The Legal Intelligencer article, “Neighboring States Have Either Passed or Proposed Climate Superfund Laws— Is Pennsylvania Next?”. These states are seeking to impose liability on certain responsible parties for damages caused by extracting fossil fuels or refining crude oil. Compensatory payments would be collected from responsible parties and allocated to a climate superfund cost recovery program. While these proposals have not yet been enacted, they do serve as an indicator that more states will propose their own law, including perhaps Pennsylvania. However, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and American Petroleum Institute are pushing back and recently filed a lawsuit against the state of Vermont, arguing that their version of the climate superfund law is an overreach of state power. New York will likely face the same legal challenge....