Comments to EPA on New Chemicals Review Program under the Amended Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)

VIA ELECTRONIC FILING

TO:The Honorable E. Scott Pruitt
Administrator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20460

RE: New Chemicals Review Program under the Amended Toxic Substances Control Act; Notice of Public Meeting and Opportunity for Public Comment, 82 Fed. Reg. 51,415 (November 6, 2017); Docket No. EPA-HQ-OPPT-2017-0585

Dear Administrator Pruitt:

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce (the Chamber), the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations, and dedicated to promoting, protecting, and defending America’s free enterprise system, strongly supports the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s or Agency’s) efforts to improve policy and processes relating to the review of new chemicals under the amended Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

I. Background

The Chamber has long supported a high-quality and science-based chemical management and evaluation program. After nearly a decade of reform efforts, President Obama signed the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (LCSA) into law on June 22, 2016. The LCSA amended TSCA for the first time since the statute was enacted in 1976 and provided for much-needed improvements to the chemical management and evaluation program...