For the next five years, the Environmental Protection Agency has indicated it will not require public water utilities to test for microplastics or pharmaceuticals in drinking water, according to a proposed rule published in the Federal Register. On Friday, the EPA submitted a list of chemicals it plans to test for under the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, a mandatory testing program used to collect information about concerning chemicals in drinking water that could be harming human health. It did not include microplastics or pharmaceuticals. The omissions come after announcements by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin earlier this year that his agency was designating microplastics and pharmaceuticals priority contaminants for testing.

Other drinking water news:

• E&E News by Politico: EPA punts on microplastics in tap water monitoring rule
• Bloomberg Law: EPA proposes scanning drinking water for 30 new contaminants
• The Fulcrum: Blog: Trump’s water policies put America’s drinking water at risk