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

July 11, 2025

EPA Withdraws Proposed SNURs for 18 Chemicals Made from Plastic Waste-Based Feedstocks 

On July 9, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) withdrew proposed significant new use rules (SNUR) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for 18 chemical substances that were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMN) and a subsequent TSCA Order. 90 Fed. Reg. 30216. EPA states that it is withdrawing the proposed SNURs because it withdrew the 2022 TSCA Order that was the basis of the rules on December 18, 2024. As reported in our April 17, 2023, blog item, in April 2023,...
July 10, 2025

EPA Withdraws Motion to Hold Asbestos Case in Abeyance, Will Explore Using Guidance to Clarify Workplace Protection Requirements 

As reported in our June 28, 2025, blog item, on June 16, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) filed a motion with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit requesting that litigation over its 2024 final risk management rule regulating chrysotile asbestos under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) be held in abeyance for an additional six months. Texas Chemistry Council, et al. v. EPA, No. 24-60193. According to the filing, EPA intended to initiate a new...
July 9, 2025

EPA Extends Postponement of Effective Date of Certain Provisions of TCE Risk Management Rule 

On June 23, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) extended the postponement of the effective date of certain regulatory provisions of its December 17, 2024, final risk management rule for trichloroethylene (TCE) until August 19, 2025. 90 Fed. Reg. 26453. As reported in our April 15, 2025, blog item, after EPA issued the final rule in December 2024, it received multiple petitions for an administrative stay of the effective date. EPA denied the requests, and the companies submitted...
July 8, 2025

FDA Begins Public Comment Period on Method for Ranking Chemicals in Food for Post-Market Assessments 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on June 18, 2025, the release of its proposed method for ranking chemicals in the food supply. According to the document, the systematic post-market assessment of food chemicals consists of the following steps: signal detection, triage, prioritization, scoping, scientific assessment (safety, risk, and/or hazard), risk management review, and risk management action. FDA states that it will publish a full description of the process later in 2025...
July 1, 2025

OECD Publishes Report on Commercial Availability and Current Uses of PFAS and Alternatives in Hydraulic Oils and Lubricants

On June 20, 2025, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published a report entitled Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and Alternatives in Hydraulic Oils and Lubricants: Report on Commercial Availability and Current Uses. The report examines the commercial availability and current uses of PFAS and non-PFAS alternatives in lubricants and hydraulic oils within the framework of the Global PFAS Group. OECD notes that it considered publicly available information...
June 28, 2025

EPA to Reconsider Asbestos Part 1 Risk Management Rule Following Legal Challenge

On June 16, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) filed a motion with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit requesting that litigation over its 2024 final rule regulating chrysotile asbestos under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) be held in abeyance for an additional six months. According to the filing, EPA intends to initiate a new notice-and-comment rulemaking to reconsider certain provisions of the rule. The litigation, Texas Chemistry Council, et al. v. EPA,...
June 27, 2025

MPCA Will Postpone January 1, 2026, Reporting Deadline On Products Containing Intentionally Added PFAS

This week the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) posted Parts One and Two of its response to pre-hearing and hearing comments. Part One states that 67 commenters submitted written comments on the April 2025 proposed rule. During the May 22, 2025, hearing on the proposed rule, 11 stakeholders presented verbal testimony. According to the document, MPCA has reviewed the comments and “has identified some parts of the proposed rule that require clarification, or that the agency would...
June 20, 2025

EPA Will Extend Postponement of Effective Date of Certain Provisions of Final TCE Risk Management Rule

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provided on update on June 18, 2025, on the status of the December 2024 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) risk management rule for trichloroethylene (TCE). According to EPA, it is postponing until August 19, 2025, certain requirements already postponed in March 2025. EPA notes that these requirements relate only to the TSCA Section 6(g) exemptions in the final TCE rule. According to EPA, “[t]his will ensure that the timing of EPA’s...
June 18, 2025

EPA Releases Draft Charge Questions for SACC Meeting on Phthalates and Memorandum on Proposed Refinement for Estimating DBP Skin Exposures

On June 16, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of the draft charge questions for discussion at the upcoming Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC) meeting to review all documents released thus far on the risk evaluations of five phthalates. SACC will review the draft risk evaluations for dibutyl phthalate (DBP), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP), as well as cross-cutting documents related to DBP, DEHP, DCHP, butyl...
June 17, 2025

PPG Withdraws TSCA Section 21 Petition to Amend Final TCE Risk Management Rule for Specialty Polymeric Microporous Sheet Materials Manufacturing

As reported in our May 13, 2025, blog item, on March 24, 2025, PPG Industries, Inc. (PPG) submitted a petition seeking an amendment to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) December 2024 final risk management rule for trichloroethylene (TCE). PPG requested an amendment to the exemption for the industrial and commercial use of TCE as a processing aid for specialty polymeric microporous sheet materials manufacturing that would allow PPG to meet an interim existing chemical exposure...