A former chemical industry executive and a longtime engineer are back at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, raising alarm bells because of their histories of fighting chemical safety regulation.
Hiroko Tabuchi reports for The New York Times.
In short:
- Nancy Beck and Lynn Ann Dekleva, with ties to the American Chemistry Council, have rejoined the EPA, where they previously worked to scale back chemical safety measures.
- Under Beck’s leadership, rules on harmful chemicals like PFAS and asbestos were weakened, while Dekleva faced accusations of pressuring staff to approve chemicals with limited scrutiny.
- Critics, including environmental advocates, warn their return signals a potential rollback of Biden-era chemical safety policies designed to protect public health.
Key quote:
“The weakening of health protections [from toxic chemicals] is just around the corner.”
— Daniel Rosenberg, director of federal toxics policy at the Natural Resources Defense Council
Why this matters:
Critics fear a return to an era where chemical safety rules leaned more toward industry convenience than protecting people’s health. The chemicals industry has already asked the Trump administration to roll back recent Biden administration chemical safety rules, which include restrictions on cancer-causing trichloroethylene and asbestos, and PFAS standards for drinking water.
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