EPA Proposes Amendments to Regulations for Reviewing New Chemicals Under TSCA

On May 16, EPA announced the release of the pre-publication of a new proposed rule to amend the new chemicals procedural regulations under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). These amendments are intended to align the regulatory text for new chemical review with the amendments to TSCA contained in the 2016 Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, enacted on June 22, 2016. EPA intends the proposal to improve the efficiency of EPA’s review processes. The proposal includes “amendments that would reduce the need to redo all or part of the risk assessment by improving information initially submitted in new chemicals notices, which should also help reduce the length of time that new chemicals notices are under review.”

The Agency’s proposal also eliminates eligibility for exemptions from the full safety review process for new per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) chemicals. Once published in the federal register, the public will have 60 days to provide comments.