EPA announced plans to push back enforcement dates for regulation of a widely used and carcinogenic paint stripper chemical, while defending other restrictions finalized under the Biden administration.
According to a prepublication notice released Tuesday, the narrow proposal would extend the dates by which nonfederal labs need to be in compliance with more stringent workplace protections and recordkeeping standards for uses of methylene chloride, which can be deadly when inhaled. The deadline extensions would put nonfederal labs on the same timeline as their federal counterparts.
Restrictions under the April 2024 rule were enacted May 5. Those deadlines “remain effective until modified through this rulemaking,” EPA’s website says, but enforcing “the current deadlines is a low enforcement priority for the agency.”
In a court document filed last week, Justice Department attorney Laura Brown said EPA “intends to defend the methylene chloride regulation,” but it “will no longer defend the positions on the single risk determination and personal protective equipment issues.”
