In the Headlines
January 23, 2025

Trump Puts Industry Insiders in Charge of EPA's Chemical Safety Oversight

The Washington Post

Public Policy & Regulation attorney Dimitrios Karakitsos was quoted in a Washington Post article commenting on the appointment of Nancy Beck and Lynn Dekleva to oversee chemical regulation at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Both Beck and Dekleva previously held positions at the American Chemistry Council, and both also served under the first Trump Administration. The nominations have left some environmental advocates worried about the future of regulations concerning chemical safety, including revisions to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) implemented in 2016. Industry leaders and Republican members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce have criticized the law for hampering research and development, saying the EPA has consistently missed the 90-day statutory deadline to determine whether to approve a new chemical. Mr. Karakitsos noted the approval process often does not correspond to the timetable laid out in the law. He also highlighted an industry complaint that the Biden Administration placed too much emphasis on the hazardous nature of a chemical over the actual risk of exposure, expressing a desire for stable regulations from one administration to the next instead of swinging back and forth between extremes.

"There are chemicals that have been sitting out there for two to three years; in some cases you're not missing approving chemicals by just a week or two, it's considerably longer," he said. "...A lot of these new chemicals tend to be greener and safer, and we want that innovation on the market."

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