WASHINGTON (October 27, 2021) – The American Chemistry Council released the following statement regarding a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ongoing implementation of the 2016 amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
“We welcome today’s important hearing regarding EPA’s ongoing implementation of TSCA. ACC supports full implementation of the 2016 amendments to TSCA as Congress intended, including EPA having the resources it needs to meet program demands.
“An efficient, effective, scientifically-driven, risk-based program across TSCA is mandated by the statute. The law requires that EPA’s TSCA decisions be based on the best available science and that EPA use the weight of the scientific evidence to support its decisions. TSCA implementation must enable the agency to protect human health and the environment from unreasonable risk. The Agency must use the most relevant science and approaches to support the safety and sustainability of existing chemistries for their intended conditions of use, while facilitating the introduction of new, modern chemistries in a timely fashion.
“U.S. businesses, jobs, innovation, and competitiveness depend on the success of an effective and efficient new chemicals program. EPA must take a transparent, consistent, risk-based approach to evaluating new chemicals and make decisions that promote timely market entry. Delays in the new chemicals program have a significant adverse impact on research and development expenditures, planning product launches, development of new sustainable chemistries, innovation, and competitiveness, and prevent the availability of new and innovative chemistries to support national priorities like infrastructure and climate.
“Stakeholder engagement and peer review are critical components of the TSCA process to ensure EPA’s evaluations are comprehensive, objective, and scientifically robust. The Agency must ensure it is adequately seeking and considering public comment prior to making any potential changes to the way the agency implements TSCA.
“ACC continues to support the efficient and effective implementation of the TSCA program, which uses risk-based science as the foundation for decision-making. We look forward to our ongoing engagement with EPA to ensure successful implementation of this important bipartisan statute.”
