EPA, facing a court-ordered deadline, is racing to complete risk evaluations for six chemicals widely used in plastics manufacturing.
The agency “is currently on track to finalize” the chemical risk assessments for five phthalates and one popular rubber tire chemical by Dec. 31, Nancy Beck, principal deputy assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, wrote in a court filing last week.
Facing a lawsuit brought by environmental advocates, EPA under the Biden administration agreed to a consent decree declaring it would finalize seven risk evaluations and publish 10 draft assessments under the Toxic Substances Control Act by December 2025.
Judge Dabney Friedrich, appointed by President Donald Trump to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, approved the administration’s request to extend its deadline for one chemical — 1,2-dichloroethane, used to make vinyl chloride — from this month to April 30, 2026.
