Regulatory Freeze Applies to TCE Ban
EPA has delayed the implementation of several regulations until March, including one that would ban the import and manufacture of the chemical solvent trichloroethylene (TCE), it said in a Federal Register notice. The agency said it sought to delay implementing the final rule in response to a Jan. 20 directive from President Donald Trump calling for a regulatory freeze.
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The new date for when the final rule on TCE will be effective is March 21. The final rule was initially set to be effective on Jan. 16 (see 24121700200), but a court order dated Jan. 16 had already put a stay on that effective date.
EPA had determined that TCE presents an "unreasonable risk of injury to health," according to the final rule published in December. The agency called for a transition period to limit the industrial and commercial use of the solvent, with a target set to ban the substance.