Archives

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 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...
June 11, 2025

ACC Files TSCA Section 21 Petition Seeking Reconsideration of TCE Risk Management Rule

On May 27, 2025, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under Section 21 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to reconsider the final risk management rule for trichloroethylene (TCE). ACC requests that EPA reconsider and amend two provisions of the rule: Revise the byproduct exclusion in 40 C.F.R. Section 751.301(c) by removing the “site-limited” restriction that requires byproduct TCE to be reused as a “part of the same overall...
May 13, 2025

EPA Receives TSCA Section 21 Petitions Seeking Reconsideration of Exemption Conditions in Final Trichloroethylene Rule

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently updated its website to include two petitions submitted under Section 21 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that seek reconsideration of exemption provisions of EPA’s final risk management rule for trichloroethylene (TCE). On March 24, 2025, PPG Industries, Inc. (PPG) submitted a petition seeking an amendment to the December 2024 final rule’s exemption for the industrial and commercial use of TCE as a processing aid for specialty...
April 15, 2025

EPA Postpones Effective Date of Certain Provisions of TCE Risk Management Rule to June 20, 2025

On April 2, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it is postponing the effectiveness of certain provisions of its December 17, 2024, final risk management rule for trichloroethylene (TCE) until June 20, 2025. 90 Fed. Reg. 14415. 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 renewed petitions to stay the effective date of the rule,...
March 24, 2025

EPA Provides Update on Status of TSCA Risk Management Rule for TCE

On March 24, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provided an update on the effective date of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) final risk management rule for trichloroethylene (TCE). As reported in our January 13, 2025, memorandum, on December 17, 2024, EPA issued a final rule prohibiting all uses of TCE, most of which would be prohibited within one year, including TCE manufacture and processing for most commercial and all consumer products. As reported in our January 30,...
January 30, 2025

EPA Delays Effective Date of TCE Risk Management Rule

On January 28, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Act (EPA) issued a final rule delaying the effective date of four rules, including the December 17, 2024, final risk management rule for trichloroethylene (TCE) issued under Section 6(a) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), until March 21, 2025. 90 Fed. Reg. 8254. EPA states that it is delaying the effective dates of the rules in response to President Trump’s January 20, 2025, memorandum entitled “Regulatory Freeze Pending...
January 13, 2025

EPA Issues Final Risk Management Rules for Trichloroethylene, Perchloroethylene, and Carbon Tetrachloride

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released final risk management rules under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE) on December 9, 2024, and for carbon tetrachloride (CTC) on December 11, 2024. EPA states that all uses of TCE will be banned over time, with “the vast majority of identified risks eliminated within one year,” and safer alternatives readily available for the majority of uses. The PCE rule will ban manufacture,...
November 17, 2023

Lynn L. Bergeson, “EPA Proposes Ban on Trichloroethylene,” Chemical Processing, November 17, 2023.

Unsurprisingly, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed on Oct. 31, to ban all uses of trichloroethylene (TCE) after determining it presents an unreasonable risk of injury to human health under conditions of use pursuant to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). TCE is widely used in cleaning and furniture-care products, degreasers, brake cleaners and tire repair sealants. Alternatives are available for many uses. The proposed rule would ban TCE’s manufacture, processing...
November 3, 2023

EPA Proposes to Ban TCE

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed on October 31, 2023, to ban all uses of  trichloroethylene (TCE) after determining that it presents an unreasonable risk of injury to human health under its conditions of use as documented in EPA’s November 2020 risk evaluation (2020 TCE RE) and January 2023 revised risk determination (2023 Revised RD) pursuant to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). 88 Fed. Reg. 74712. According to EPA’s October 23, 2023, press release, TCE is...