EPA Eases Chemical Ban at Last Minute in Win for Industry

The Environmental Protection Agency offered industries a temporary reprieve Monday saying it would delay enforcement for 180 days of a prohibition set to kick in at midnight barring most shipments of products made with a flame retardant that will be largely banned starting March 9.

The agency also announced a 60-day public comment period for that and four other regulations it finalized in January to control particularly hazardous chemicals.

Information it seeks includes whether the rules sufficiently reduce exposure to these chemicals, including exposures of at-risk groups; whether additional or different regulatory approaches are needed; and whether the compliance date ...