Court Denies EPA Request to Pause Dry Cleaning Chemical Lawsuit

A federal appeals court has sided with industry and denied the EPA’s request to keep a pause on litigation over its perchloroethylene regulation.

The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit order, issued on Friday, gave the Environmental Protection Agency, multiple industry petitioners, and Center for Environmental Health until Aug. 21 to resolve their disputes or proceed with the appeal.

The order means companies that use perchloroethylene (PCE) could have a Fifth Circuit ruling about the agency’s regulation and its consistency with the 2016 Toxic Substances Control Act amendments before the EPA completes a revision to the rule ...