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...
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold a webinar on November 14, 2023, on its proposal to ban trichloroethylene (TCE). In October 2023, EPA released its proposed risk management rule under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for TCE. The rule would ban the manufacture (including import), processing, and distribution in commerce of TCE for all uses. If issued in final, most uses of TCE would be prohibited within one year, including TCE manufactured and processed for most...
December 11, 2022
EPA Seeks Participants for Small Business Review Panel on Carbon Tetrachloride and TCE Risk Management Rulemaking
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on November 30, 2020, that it is inviting small businesses, governments, and not-for-profits to participate as Small Entity Representatives (SER) to provide advice and recommendations to two Small Business Advocacy Review (SBAR) Panels. One Panel will focus on EPA’s development of a proposed rule to address unreasonable risks identified in EPA’s recently completed Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) risk evaluation for...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) spring 2022 Unified Agenda, published on June 21, 2022, includes the following rulemakings under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) or the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). Proposed Rule Stage Tiered Data Reporting to Inform Prioritization, Risk Evaluation, and Risk Management under TSCA (2070-AK62): EPA is developing a rulemaking under TSCA Sections 8(a) and (d) to establish reporting requirements based upon a chemical’s status in the...
On May 18, 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) invited environmental justice communities and stakeholders to participate in environmental justice consultations regarding the development of proposed risk management actions under Section 6(a) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to address unreasonable risks presented by trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE). EPA will hold two identical consultation webinars, one on June 16, 2021, and the other on July 6,...
The U.S. Environmental Protection (EPA) will hold a webinar on December 10, 2020, to educate stakeholders on the risk management process under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the findings in the final risk evaluation for carbon tetrachloride. The webinar will also provide an opportunity for the public to provide input on considerations EPA should take into account for managing these unreasonable risks. Registration is open. Stakeholders who would like to provide oral...
In a Federal Register notice published on March 20, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the March 24-26, 2020, Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC) meeting to review the draft risk evaluation for trichloroethylene (TCE) is being changed to a virtual public meeting. 85 Fed. Reg. 16096. Participation will be by telephone and webcast only. EPA states the meeting times and...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a notice in the Federal Register on February 26, 2020, announcing the availability of the draft risk evaluation for trichloroethylene (TCE), “a chemical used as a solvent and an intermediate for refrigerant manufacture in industrial and commercial processes, and with limited consumers uses like as a spot cleaner in dry cleaning facilities.” 85 Fed. Reg. 11079. EPA assessed 54 conditions of use of...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released on February 21, 2020, the draft risk evaluation for trichloroethylene (TCE), “a chemical used as a solvent and an intermediate for refrigerant manufacture in industrial and commercial processes, and with limited consumers uses like as a spot cleaner in dry cleaning facilities.” EPA assessed 54 conditions of use of TCE, and the draft risk evaluation includes the following findings: EPA did not find risk to the...
September 5, 2018
Democrats on House Energy and Commerce Committee Renew Request for Hearing on Implementation of TSCA Amendments
On August 29, 2018, the Democrats on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce issued a press release announcing that they have renewed their request for a hearing on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) implementation of the amendments made by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The Democrats note this is the fourth request they have made for hearings to be held on EPA’s management of toxic...