EPA’s Methylene Chloride Rule Hit With First Legal Challenge

Two companies have asked a federal appeals court to challenge the EPA’s methylene chloride rule, in what may be the first of more legal challenges.

East Fork Enterprises Inc. and Houston-based Epic Paint Co. petitioned the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on May 10. Neither company offered a reason for its challenge, and their lead attorney, Keith Bradley, co-chair of Squire Patton Boggs LLP’s appellate and Supreme Court practice, didn’t immediately reply to requests for comment.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s May 8 rule banned most commercial and industrial uses of the solvent.

Attorneys representing multiple industries have ...