Court Lacks Authority to Limit Chemical Per PPG Offer, EPA Says

A federal appeals court lacks authority to approve an agreement limiting the amount of trichloroethylene that workers could inhale, the EPA maintained in a court filing.

If the court is inclined to set the workplace limit that PPG Industries Inc. and two labor unions agreed, then the EPA requested the court hold a briefing on whether it has the legal authority and whether the workplace limit is appropriate, the Department of Justice, which represents the Environmental Protection Agency, said Wednesday in a letter to the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

The letter expands on concerns the agency ...