Chemical Manufacturers Support EPA Statutory Requirements

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) issued a statement regarding U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) organizational improvements to deliver clean air, land and water to all Americans. The following can be attributed to Chris Jahn, ACC President and CEO:

“ACC supports EPA evaluating its resources to ensure American taxpayer dollars are being used efficiently and effectively to meet the Agency’s statutory requirements. If necessary, that includes shifting resources to critical programs such as EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) and Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP).  

“OCSPP performs essential permitting and review functions for industrial, agricultural, and specialty chemicals. The functions of this EPA office advance American competitiveness, further transformative ideas, and promote new domestic manufacturing by accessing applications for new and existing chemistries. This helps ensure that new, innovative products reach American and global consumers — goals essential to this Administration.  

“Furthermore, EPA’s IRIS program has a troubling history of being out of step with the best available science and methods, lacking transparency, and being unresponsive to peer review and stakeholder recommendations.  This results in IRIS assessments that jeopardize access to critical chemistries, undercut national priorities, and harm American competitiveness. The IRIS program has never been authorized by Congress, and since 2009 the program has remained on the GAO’s High-Risk List, which identifies government programs that are vulnerable to fraud, waste, abuse, or mismanagement.   

“ACC and a coalition of 81 leading stakeholders have called on EPA to prohibit the use of IRIS assessments to develop, finalize, or issue a rule or regulation. We have called for the disbandment of the IRIS program and the return of responsibilities to program offices. ACC also supports legislation in Congress, the No IRIS Act, that would protect American manufacturing and help ensure regulations are based on sound science.   

“We’re committed to working with Administrator Zeldin and his team in support of sound science and risk-based policy solutions that allow America’s chemical manufacturers to address the growing demand for advanced chemical production here in the United States while also protecting human health and the environment.” 

.