On Friday, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency withdrew two proposed rules on toxic chemicals.
One would have
designated
three classes of chemicals – bisphenol A or BPA, a category of phthalates, and
a category of polybrominated diphenyl ethers or PBDEs – as
“chemicals of concern.” With this listing, EPA could get more
information on the chemicals from companies and share it with the public.
The second would have clarified that health
and safety studies on pre-market chemicals submitted to the
agency can’t be confidential business information, and the studies should be available
to the public.
On its blog, the
Environmental Defense Fund said EPA withdrew the rules because the Obama
administration held up action on the draft rules for years.
“Despite a clear
requirement that White House reviews of draft proposed rules be completed
within 90 days, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (which is part
of the Office of Management and Budget) sat on these two draft proposals for
1,213 and 619 days, respectively,” said Richard Denison, Ph.D., senior scientist
for the EDF. “Faced presumably with the reality that OIRA was never going
to let EPA even propose the rules for public comment, EPA decided to withdraw
them.”
See the blog article
for information on the challenges EPA faces in its attempts to these and other toxic
chemicals.
