Community and Environmental NGOs File Suit After EPA Denies TSCA Section 21 Petition Concerning Prohibition of Hydrogen Fluoride in Domestic Oil Manufacturing 

As reported in our May 14, 2025, blog item, on May 12, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) denied a petition filed under Section 21 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) seeking to prohibit the use of hydrogen fluoride in domestic oil refining through a TSCA Section 6(a) rulemaking. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) announced on July 9, 2025, that after EPA denied their petition, community and environmental non-governmental organizations (NGO) filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California “to force [EPA] to address the threat of an unnecessary and dangerous chemical used in dozens of American refineries despite its potential to form toxic acid clouds.” The Clean Air Council (CAC), Communities for a Better Environment (CBE), and NRDC claim that more than 40 oil refineries across the country use hydrogen fluoride, even though several refineries have started to replace it with safer commercial-scale alternatives.