EPA Pushes Back Worker Protection Deadline for Two Chemicals

The EPA has released a final rule delaying the deadline for certain worker protections mandated by the Biden administration for facilities using perchloroethylene (PCE) and carbon tetrachloride (CTC) (E&E News, subscription).

• Facilities are expected to monitor air levels, provide workers with respirators and establish regulated areas, along with other measures to limit exposures.

The timeline: “Nonfederal facilities using PCE were supposed to complete initial exposure monitoring by December 2025 and meet the exposure limit by March. Those deadlines are now June 2027 and September 2027, respectively. The agency also gave facilities until December 2027 to implement an exposure control plan.”

The background: The Trump administration proposed delaying the rule in March, as part of its effort to postpone many regulations enacted under the Toxic Substances Control Act.

The NAM’s advocacy: The NAM has called on Congress to modernize the TSCA when its fee authority comes up for renewal in September.

• “Targeted improvements that enhance program efficiency, predictability and certainty will help unlock manufacturing investment, strengthen domestic supply chains and support American competitiveness—while continuing to protect public health and the environment,” the NAM told policymakers earlier this year.