EPA Submits Final Rulemaking on Procedures to Prioritize Chemicals for Risk Evaluation under TSCA to OMB for Review and Approval
On May 23, 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) submitted its final rulemaking on the Procedures for Prioritization of Chemicals for Risk Evaluation Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. In the proposed rule, EPA describes the processes for identifying potential candidates for prioritization, selecting a candidate, screening that candidate against certain criteria, formally initiating the prioritization process, providing opportunities for public comment, and proposing and preparing final priority designations. EPA also incorporates all of the elements required by new TSCA, but also supplements those requirements with additional criteria it expects to consider, some clarifications intended to provide greater transparency, and additional procedural steps to ensure effective implementation. Comments were due March 20, 2017; 70 comments were filed. Pursuant to new TSCA, EPA must publish the final rule in the Federal Register by June 22, 2017.
More information on the rule as proposed is available in our memorandum EPA Proposes Procedures to Prioritize Chemicals for Risk Evaluation under TSCA.