By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton
 
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reopened the online dockets for 20 high-priority substances. According to the December 9, 2021, memorandum authorizing the re-opening of the dockets, EPA is re-opening these dockets to receive use, hazard, exposure, and any other information that can help inform their risk evaluations. Information must be submitted by June 9, 2022, when EPA will close the dockets. Information submitted to the docket should be identified by the docket identification (ID) number associated with the relevant chemical. The 20 high-priority chemicals are:

• p-Dichlorobenzene;
• 1,2-Dichloroethane;
• trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene;
• o-Dichlorobenzene;
• 1,1,2-Trichloroethane;
• 1,2-Dichloropropane;
• 1,1-Dichloroethane;
• Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) (1,2-Benzene-dicarboxylic acid, 1,2-dibutyl ester);
• Butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) (1,2-Benzene-dicarboxylic acid, 1-butyl 2-(phenylmethyl) ester);
• Di-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) (1,2-Benzene-dicarboxylic acid, 1,2-bis(2-ethylhexyl) ester);
• Di-isobutyl phthalate (DIBP) (1,2-Benzene-dicarboxylic acid, 1,2-bis-(2-methylpropyl) ester);
• Dicyclohexyl phthalate;
• 4,4'-(1-Methylethylidene)bis[2,6-dibromophenol] (TBBPA);
• Tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP);
• Phosphoric acid, triphenyl ester (TPP);
• Ethylene dibromide;
• 1,3-Butadiene;
• 1,3,4,6,7,8-Hexahydro-4,6,6,7,8,8-hexamethylcyclopenta [g]-2-benzopyran (HHCB);
• Formaldehyde; and
• Phthalic anhydride.

The docket ID number and contact information for each chemical lead is available in the memorandum.

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By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton
 
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a final rule on June 29, 2021, that requires manufacturers (including importers) of 50 specified chemical substances to report certain lists and copies of unpublished health and safety studies to EPA. 86 Fed. Reg. 34147. EPA is issuing the final rule pursuant to Section 8(d) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the TSCA Health and Safety Data Reporting rule codified at 40 C.F.R. Part 716. The chemical substances subject to the rule consist of the 20 designated by EPA as high-priority substances and the 30 organohalogen flame retardants being evaluated for risks by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA). EPA states that it is taking this action because the TSCA Interagency Testing Committee (ITC) added these chemical substances to the TSCA Section 4(e) Priority Testing List through its 69th and 74th Reports. EPA will use the submitted information to inform the risk evaluations currently underway for 20 high-priority substances and for future prioritization.
 
The table below lists the high-priority substances and organohalogen flame retardants included in the final rule.
 

 
The final rule will be effective July 29, 2021. Requests to withdraw a chemical substance from the final rule pursuant to 40 C.F.R. Section 716.105(c) must be received by July 13, 2021. Information specified in the final rule is due to EPA by September 27, 2021. Detailed information about the final rule is available in our June 29, 2021, memorandum, “Manufacturers and Importers of 20 High-Priority Chemicals and 30 Organohalogen Flame Retardants Must Submit Data to EPA.”

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By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton
 
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Federal Register notice on April 28, 2021, announcing a 30-day comment period on the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Interagency Testing Committee’s (ITC) revisions to the Priority Testing List.  86 Fed. Reg. 22414.  In the 74th ITC Report, ITC revised the TSCA Section 4(e) Priority Testing List by adding the following 15 high-priority substances designated pursuant to TSCA Section 6(b) and 24 organohalogen flame retardants:

ITC requests that EPA add these chemical substances and the other five high-priority substances and six organohalogen flame retardants currently on the Priority Testing List to 40 C.F.R. Section 716.120(a), the list of substances subject to the TSCA Section 8(d) Health and Safety Data Reporting rule (40 C.F.R. Part 716).  The rule requires manufacturers (including importers) of chemical substances and mixtures added to the Health and Safety Data Reporting rule to submit lists and copies of unpublished health and safety studies to EPA.  Comments are due May 28, 2021.
 
EPA notes that in addition to the chemical substances being added to the Priority Testing List in the 74th ITC Report, the Priority Testing List includes two alkylphenols, 45 High Production Volume (HPV) Challenge Program orphan chemicals, cadmium, a category of cadmium compounds, six non-phthalate plasticizers, 25 phosphate ester flame retardants, two other flame retardants, nine chemicals to which children living near hazardous waste sites may be exposed, and 19 diisocyanates and related compounds.

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By Christopher R. Blunck
 
On November 25, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released updates to the interim final list of manufacturers and importers subject to fees for the next 20 chemicals undergoing risk evaluation under Section 6(b) of the Toxic Substances Control Act.  According to EPA, “[t]he updated list includes additional manufacturers not identified on the final list of companies and removes manufacturers that self-identified in error or imported the chemical solely for the purpose of research and development.”  EPA stated it is committed to ensuring this list is accurate and that it planned to use this updated list to begin invoicing for fees in early November.  EPA also stated that due to the public health emergency, EPA is exploring options for payment flexibilities.
 
On September 4, 2020, EPA published a Federal Register notice announcing the final lists identifying the manufacturers (including importers) of the 20 chemical substances that have been designated as high-priority substances for risk evaluation and for which fees will be charged.  85 Fed. Reg. 55283.
 
More information is available in our September 4, 2020, memorandum, “EPA Publishes Final Scope Documents and List of Manufacturers Subject to Fees for Risk Evaluations of High-Priority Chemicals.”

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By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton
 
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Federal Register notice on April 23, 2020, announcing the availability of the draft scope documents for the risk evaluations to be conducted for the remaining seven of the 20 high-priority substances designated in December 2019.  85 Fed. Reg. 22733.  The draft scope document for each chemical substance includes the conditions of use, hazards, exposures, and the potentially exposed or susceptible subpopulations that EPA plans to consider in conducting the risk evaluation for that chemical substance.  EPA is also opening a 45-day comment period on these draft scope documents to allow for the public to provide additional data or information that could be useful to EPA in preparing the final scope documents.  Comments are due June 8, 2020.  More information on the draft scope documents is available in our April 21, 2020, memorandum, “EPA Releases Second Set of Draft Scope Documents for Remaining High-Priority Substances.”

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By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton
 
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on April 6, 2020, that the first set of draft scope documents for the next group of chemicals undergoing risk evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) is available for comment.  As reported in our December 20, 2019, memorandum, EPA designated these chemicals as a high priority for risk evaluation in December 2019.  According to EPA, seeking public input on the conditions of use to be included in the risk evaluations for these chemicals is the next step in the process outlined in TSCA.  EPA states that “it is important to note that being designated as a high-priority chemical does not mean that a chemical is high risk.”
 
EPA is releasing draft scope documents for 13 of the next 20 chemicals undergoing risk evaluation:

• p-Dichlorobenzene;
• 1,2-Dichloroethane;
• trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene;
• o-Dichlorobenzene;
• 1,1,2-Trichloroethane;
• 1,2-Dichloropropane;
• 1,1-Dichloroethane;
• 4,4'-(1-Methylethylidene)bis[2,6-dibromophenol] (TBBPA);
• Tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP);
• Phosphoric acid, triphenyl ester (TPP);
• Ethylene dibromide;
• 1,3-Butadiene; and
• 1,3,4,6,7,8-Hexahydro-4,6,6,7,8,8-hexamethylcyclopenta [g]-2-benzopyran (HHCB).

EPA will publish a Federal Register notice announcing the availability of the draft scope documents for public comment.  Publication of the notice will begin a 45-day comment period.  EPA states that it will use feedback received from the public comment process to inform the final scope documents.  More information on the first batch of draft scope documents will be available in a forthcoming memorandum that will be posted on our website.

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By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on March 25, 2020, that it will consider a proposed rule that would look at potential exemptions to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) fees rule in response to stakeholder concerns about implementation challenges.  EPA states that by considering a proposal to narrow the broad scope of the current requirements, it “could significantly reduce burden on potentially thousands of businesses across the country while maintaining the ability to successfully implement the Lautenberg Act amendments” to TSCA to protect human health and the environment.  According to EPA, it plans to initiate a new rulemaking process to consider proposing exemptions to the current rule’s self-identification requirements associated with EPA-initiated risk evaluations for manufacturers that:

• Import the chemical substance in an article;
• Produce the chemical substance as a byproduct; or
• Produce or import the chemical substance as an impurity.

EPA states that it may also consider proposing other changes to the rule during this process consistent with TSCA’s requirement to reevaluate the fees rule every three years.  EPA notes that it believes that considering exempting certain entities from self-identification requirements will not impede the ability to collect fully the necessary fees and will still allow it to achieve the ultimate objective of the TSCA fees rule and the statute -- “to defray a portion of EPA’s TSCA implementation costs.”  EPA intends to issue proposed amendments to the current fees rule later in 2020, with the goal of promulgating the amendments in 2021.

EPA states that additionally, “in light of the extremely unusual circumstances of this situation and the undue hardship imposed on certain businesses who would be required to collect and report information” under the TSCA fees rule, EPA issued a “no action assurance” for the three categories of manufacturers at this time.  More specifically, EPA “will exercise its enforcement discretion regarding the self-identification requirement for the three categories of manufacturers” for which EPA intends to propose an exemption.

EPA suggests that businesses that are erroneously on the preliminary lists of fee payers or fall into one of the three categories discussed above should see its frequently asked questions (FAQ) for more information about how to certify as such to EPA and to avoid fee obligations.  EPA posted more information on its announcement, as well as a copy of the no-action assurance, on its website.  More information is available in our March 9, 2020, blog item, “EPA Extends Deadline to Self-Identify as a Manufacturer or Importer of a High-Priority Chemical to May 27.”

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By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton

On March 9, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it has extended the deadline to self-identify as a manufacturer or importer of a high-priority chemical to May 27, 2020.  EPA states that it is working to address issues identified with implementation of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Fees Rule and EPA-initiated risk evaluations.  EPA “is actively seeking ways to address the many implementation impracticalities that have been brought to our attention and to reduce concerns by affected entities.”  During the extended comment period extension, EPA “will continue to receive input from the regulated community and analyze options to address some of the implementation challenges with the final rule and reduce stakeholder concerns.”  EPA will publish a Federal Register notice announcing the extension of the comment deadline.  A pre-publication version of the notice is available.

Background

As reported in our February 26, 2020, memorandum, on February 24, 2020, EPA hosted a conference call to review certain provisions of the final rule on fees for the administration of TSCA, particularly those related to EPA-initiated risk evaluations.  EPA published a Federal Register notice on January 27, 2020, identifying the preliminary lists of manufacturers (including importers) of the 20 high-priority chemical substances for risk evaluation for which fees will be charged.  85 Fed. Reg. 4661.  During the comment period, manufacturers (including importers) are required to self-identify as manufacturers of a high-priority substance irrespective of whether they are included on the preliminary lists identified by EPA.

Resources

Our March 4, 2020, memorandum, “EPA Plans to Provide Additional Clarification on Self-Identifying as a Manufacturer or Importer of a High-Priority Chemical,” suggests that industry stakeholders that believe they may be impacted by the January 27 notice may wish to consider suspending ongoing internal deliberations on self-reporting obligations until EPA provides additional guidance.

Information on forming a consortium is available in our March 2, 2020, memorandum, “The Essential Value of Forming TSCA Consortia.”

More information on the 20 substances designated as high-priority substances is available in our December 20, 2019, memorandum, “Final List of High-Priority Chemicals Will Be Next to Undergo Risk Evaluation under TSCA.”

More information on the final TSCA fees rule is available in our September 28, 2018, memorandum, “EPA Issues Final TSCA Fees Rule.”

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By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is scheduled to publish a Federal Register notice on January 27, 2020, identifying the preliminary lists of manufacturers (including importers) of the 20 chemical substances that EPA designated as high-priority substances for risk evaluation and for which fees will be charged.  Publication of the Federal Register notice will begin a 60-day comment period during which manufacturers (including importers) will be required to self-identify as a manufacturer of a high-priority substance irrespective of whether they are included on the preliminary lists identified by EPA.  EPA states that where appropriate, entities may also avoid or reduce fee obligations by making certain certifications consistent with the final rule on fees for the administration of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).  During the 60-day comment period, the public will have the opportunity to correct errors or provide comments on the preliminary lists.  According to the notice, EPA expects to publish final lists of manufacturers (including importers) subject to fees no later than concurrently with the publication of the final scope document for risk evaluations of the 20 high-priority substances.  Manufacturers (including importers) identified on the final lists will be subject to applicable fees.

Once the Federal Register notice is published, the preliminary lists will be available in docket number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2019-0677 at http://www.regulations.gov and on EPA’s website at http://www.epa.gov/TSCA-fees.  EPA states that it developed each preliminary list “using the most up-to-date information available, including information submitted to the Agency (e.g., information submitted under TSCA section 8(a) (including the Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) Rule) and section 8(b), and to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI)).”  According to the notice, EPA considered using other sources of information, such as publicly available information or information submitted to other agencies to which EPA has access, but EPA “concluded that data quality limitations would create more false positives than appropriate additions to the lists.”  Additionally, EPA notes that it believes the Self-Identification process, established by 40 C.F.R. Section 700.45(b)(5), will be sufficient to identify additional manufacturers (including importers), as appropriate.  To include the two most recent CDR reporting cycle data (collected every four years) and to account for annual or other typical fluctuations in manufacturing (including import), EPA states that it used six years of data submitted or available to it under CDR and TRI to create the preliminary lists (2012-2018).

More information on the 20 substances designated as high-priority substances is available in our December 20, 2019, memorandum, “Final List of High-Priority Chemicals Will Be Next to Undergo Risk Evaluation under TSCA.”  More information on the final TSCA fees rule is available in our September 28, 2018, memorandum, “EPA Issues Final TSCA Fees Rule.”

See Also: "Are You Potentially Responsible for TSCA Fees? EPA Issues Preliminary Lists of Companies Responsible for TSCA Risk Evaluation Fees" episode of All Things Chemical™ podcast

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By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published on December 20, 2019, the final list of high-priority chemicals.  These chemicals will be the next 20 chemicals to undergo risk evaluation under the amended Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).  According to EPA, issuing the final list of high-priority chemicals for risk evaluation “represents the final step in the prioritization process outlined in TSCA and marks another major TSCA milestone for EPA in its efforts to ensure the safety of existing chemicals in the marketplace.”  The 20 chemicals consist of seven chlorinated solvents, six phthalates, four flame retardants, formaldehyde, a fragrance additive, and a polymer precursor:

1. p-Dichlorobenzene;
2. 1,2-Dichloroethane;
3. trans-1,2- Dichloroethylene;
4. o-Dichlorobenzene;
5. 1,1,2-Trichloroethane;
6. 1,2-Dichloropropane;
7. 1,1-Dichloroethane;
8. Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) (1,2-Benzene- dicarboxylic acid, 1,2- dibutyl ester);
9. Butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) - 1,2-Benzene- dicarboxylic acid, 1- butyl 2(phenylmethyl) ester;
10. Di-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) - (1,2-Benzene- dicarboxylic acid, 1,2- bis(2-ethylhexyl) ester);
11. Di-isobutyl phthalate (DIBP) - (1,2-Benzene- dicarboxylic acid, 1,2- bis-(2methylpropyl) ester);
12. Dicyclohexyl phthalate;
13. 4,4'-(1-Methylethylidene)bis[2, 6-dibromophenol] (TBBPA);
14. Tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP);
15. Phosphoric acid, triphenyl ester (TPP);
16. Ethylene dibromide;
17. 1,3-Butadiene;
18. 1,3,4,6,7,8-Hexahydro-4,6,6,7,8,8-hexamethylcyclopenta [g]-2-benzopyran (HHCB);
19. Formaldehyde; and
20. Phthalic anhydride.

More information will be available in a forthcoming memorandum that will be posted on our website.

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