News and analysis regarding Lautenberg implementation and related legal and administrative developments

September 8, 2026

EPA Announces Two Scientific Advances Designed to Modernize Safety Reviews of New Chemicals and Pesticides

On August 27, 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced two scientific advancements designed to modernize safety reviews of new chemicals and pesticides while further eliminating the Agency’s reliance on animal testing. According to EPA, the new methods will help it assess the potential inhalation and oral risks of certain chemicals and pesticides faster and with greater human relevance, advancing the Agency's commitments to transparency, regulatory certainty, and the...
September 2, 2026

EDF Blog Item States Country-Specific Exposure, Use Patterns, and Regulatory Requirements Matter More Than Chemical’s Approval Status in Other Countries

The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) posted a blog item on August 27, 2026, entitled “American Chemical Safety Decisions Should Be Based on American Conditions of Use.” As we reported in our January 27, 2026, and March 6, 2026, memoranda, the House and Senate have each held hearings on discussion drafts of legislation that would amend the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). EDF’s blog item explores why the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) experience,...
August 12, 2026

EPA OIG Will Evaluate TSCA Priority Testing List

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) announced on August 4, 2026, that it will begin an evaluation of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Priority Testing List. According to the OIG’s August 4, 2026, memorandum, the evaluation is the result of an OIG Hotline complaint. OIG’s objective is to determine the extent to which (1) the TSCA Interagency Testing Committee (ITC) is updating the Priority Testing List every six months and (2) EPA is...
July 30, 2026

WHO Reviews Key Ingested PFAS and Recommends 18 for Further Evaluation

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published a report entitled Key ingested per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and their health effects: landscape review that presents an overview of a comprehensive landscape review of PFAS. The authors assembled a health effects database comprising approximately 57,000 observations covering 66 individual PFAS, drawn from 48 distinct data sources. In parallel, the authors assembled an occurrence database containing nearly 300,000 observations...
July 22, 2026

Structuring Catalyst LVEs for Success Amid the Backlog

A catalyst used in small quantities in a well-controlled industrial application would seem to be the perfect candidate for a Low Volume Exemption (LVE) notification. In fact, in certain regions, such as the European Union (EU) and Canada, no premarket notification is required for substances manufactured or imported below certain tonnage limits (e.g., one metric tonne in the EU). But in the United States under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), there is no de minimis quantity and the U.S....
July 13, 2026

EPA’s 2026 Unified Agenda Includes TSCA Rulemakings

On July 3, 2026, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published the Trump Administration’s 2026 Unified Agenda. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Unified Agenda includes the following rulemakings under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA): Cyclic Aliphatic Bromide Cluster (HBCD); Regulation under TSCA: According to EPA, this rulemaking will address the unreasonable risk of injury to health presented by HBCD. EPA states that TSCA Section 6(a) requires that EPA, when it...
July 10, 2026

EPA’s 2026 Unified Agenda Includes PFAS Rulemakings

On July 3, 2026, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published the Trump Administration’s 2026 Unified Agenda. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Unified Agenda includes the following rulemakings regarding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): Clean Water Act (CWA) Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for PFAS Manufacturers under the Organic Chemicals, Plastics and Synthetic Fibers Point Source Category: EPA is revising the existing Organic Chemicals,...
July 7, 2026

IRS Adds Two Substances to List of Chemical Substances Subject to Superfund Excise Tax

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) published a notice of determinations on June 26, 2026, that the list of taxable substances is modified to include the following two substances: chloro-isobutene-isoprene rubber and ethylene-propylene-dicyclopentadiene rubber. 91 Fed. Reg. 38778. Arlanxeo USA LLC and Arlanxeo Canada Inc., importers and exporters of the chemicals, submitted petitions requesting to add the chemicals to the list. The IRS states that according to the petition for...
June 11, 2026

IRS Cancels June Hearing on Petition to Add Methyl Methacrylate-Ethyl Methacrylate-Methacrylic Acid Copolymer in a Styrene Solution to List of Chemical Substances Subject to Superfund Excise Tax

As reported in our May 22, 2026, blog item, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced on May 18, 2026, that it will hold a hearing on June 18, 2026, on the notice of filing to add methyl methacrylate-ethyl methacrylate-methacrylic acid copolymer in a styrene solution to the list of taxable substances. 91 Fed. Reg. 28759. According to a June 11, 2026, Federal Register notice, the IRS did not receive any requests to testify or outlines of topics. 91 Fed. Reg. 35615. Therefore, the IRS has...
June 2, 2026

EPA Extends Deadline for Reporting Health and Safety Data for 16 Chemicals

On May 22, 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) extended the reporting deadline for a rule under Section 8(d) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) requiring manufacturers (including importers) of 16 chemicals to report data from unpublished health and safety studies to EPA. 91 Fed. Reg. 30222. The rule applies to manufacturers in the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) codes for chemical manufacturing (NAICS code 325) and petroleum refineries (NAICS code...