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Opinion: We can’t regulate PFAS with a small government

Staff photo by Abby White / Amber, left, and LeRoy Fletcher speak about the pollution on their property in Dalton at a news conference on Dec. 10, 2024. Members of a team investigating PFAS contamination in Northwest Georgia have been conducting tests across the region to document the extent of contamination.
Staff photo by Abby White / Amber, left, and LeRoy Fletcher speak about the pollution on their property in Dalton at a news conference on Dec. 10, 2024. Members of a team investigating PFAS contamination in Northwest Georgia have been conducting tests across the region to document the extent of contamination. Staff photo by Abby White / Amber, left, and LeRoy Fletcher speak about the pollution on their property in Dalton at a news conference on Dec. 10, 2024. Members of a team investigating PFAS contamination in Northwest Georgia have been conducting tests across the region to document the extent of contamination.

By Ben Sessoms 4 min read

Ask the median voter their view on government, and more often than not, they’ll say they want D.C. — or in Tennessee, it’s Nashville — out of their lives. For many, the smaller the government, the better.

And for good reason. No one wants what feels like an uncontrollable government bureaucracy intruding on their personal lives. This anti-government narrative is mostly heard from the political right.

(Of course, government intrusion isn’t an issue for the right when it comes to abortion restriction and anti-trans legislation, but that’s a whole other editorial.)

This anti-government mindset, however, cannot be universal. There are some issues that warrant broad and expansive regulatory action — a big government. One of those issues is corporate pollution.

Relevant in recent news particularly, we need a big government with the power to regulate PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. PFAS is also commonly referred to as “forever chemicals,” due to their persistent and long-lasting presence in what they pollute, including in humans.