Afton Committed to Successful Implementation of Lautenberg Act


As of November 21, 2018, EPA reported that it had completed 1772 new chemical reviews since enactment of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act. However, challenges remain with implementation. Industry, in general, is concerned about delays in new chemical approvals and the time required for EPA to finalize Consent Orders and Significant New Use Rules (SNURs) used for new chemical management. These delays, which can be many months, cause uncertainty within industry and can have a negative impact on innovation.
 
Afton is actively engaged with EPA through industry associations, including the American Chemistry Council, to address implementation concerns associated with the new law. Current activities include more effective management of SNURs and addressing data gaps identified by EPA. Specifically, Afton is part of an ACC task force working to address EPA concerns related to toxicity of certain chemicals and to better understand how to fill specific toxicity endpoints.
 
Afton will remain engaged with industry and EPA to find solutions to the remaining implementation concerns.
 
Background
The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act was signed into law on June 22, 2016. It is the first major amendment to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) since enacted in 1976. This new amendment is intended to modernize the nation’s chemical management programs. It stipulates risk-based chemical assessments and increased public transparency for chemical health and safety information. The law also requires that EPA evaluate both existing and new chemicals.