EPA Harms Innovation by Slow New Chemical Reviews, Lawmaker Says

Delays in the EPA’s approval of new chemicals are harming U.S. innovation and occur even though the agency is receiving significantly higher fees from chemical manufacturers to review the compounds, a House member said Tuesday.

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) made the comments at a hearing where Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan testified before a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee about the agency’s fiscal 2023 $11.9 billion budget request. McMorris Rodgers is the full committee’s top Republican.

That allocation would boost the chemical office’s budget by $64 million, to $124 million, and increase its staff. The increases would enable ...