On November 7, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a proposed rule on the Toxic Substances Control Act’s (TSCA) chemical risk evaluation procedures.
When conducting an existing chemical risk evaluation under TSCA, the EPA must determine whether a chemical presents an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment. The risk evaluations also determine if and how the chemical may be used by small businesses throughout the supply chain.
The proposed rule reexamines a series of changes the EPA made in 2024, which the Office of Advocacy (Advocacy) warned would “likely lead to unnecessary and duplicative regulation with minimal public health benefits.”
The EPA’s newly proposed rule addresses many of Advocacy’s prior concerns and will allow the agency to focus on improving how chemicals are used by small businesses, ensuring those chemicals are reviewed in a manner that is both thorough and efficient. Additionally, the proposal reduces duplicative regulatory efforts already undertaken by other federal agencies and EPA program offices.
Advocacy urges the EPA to allow for peer review of full chemical risk evaluations and provide a complete description of the proposed rule’s benefits to small businesses.
COMMENT LETTER
Procedures for Chemical Risk Evaluation under the TSCA
(PDF, 253 KB)
DECEMBER 2023 COMMENT LETTER
(PDF, 215 KB)
CONTACT: Nick Goldstein
EMAIL: nick.goldstein@sba.gov
TOPIC(S): Letters to Agencies
TAG(S): EPA
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