EPA to Stop Reviewing New Chemicals Requests During Shutdown

Chemical manufacturers’ requests to make or import new chemicals won’t be reviewed by the EPA throughout the US government shutdown, frustrating the agency’s recent efforts to bring innovations to market.

The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) work the Environmental Protection Agency normally carries out “effectively comes to a halt,” Justin Roberts, a chemist working with Keller and Heckman LLP, said during a webinar the law firm hosted Wednesday discussing new chemicals.

When staff return, they’ll be inundated, said Roberts, who formerly worked at the EPA and said his remarks drew on his experience with previous shutdowns.

“There’s a queue of ...