Groundwater contamination was top of mind when Medcalf heard about a new draft bill crafted by the House of Representatives in January.

The bill would amend large portions of the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act
— a series of EPA regulations meant to police the manufacturing, processing and use of chemical substances,
including such contaminants as those found at Jones Road.

In 2016, Congress reformed the act, commonly referred to as ,
with bipartisan support to give more authority to the EPA to review and regulate chemical substances.

Now, a decade later, House conservatives are proposing to walk back many of the 2016 reforms,
citing issues in efficiency, predictability and competitiviness,
while promising that the changes will modernize the Toxic Substances Control Act.

EPA No Longer Considering Lives Saved in Pollution Rules, Only Cost to Business

Health and environmental experts,
advocates and residents like Medcalf
have expressed alarm at the proposed changes,
pointing to the implications the bill would have for local Texas communities and petrochemical workers due to the weakening of EPA’s authority to regulate existing and new hazardous chemicals.

The draft bill is just one of the many rollbacks in regulating chemicals since Donald Trump launched his second term in office last January.

Since the 2016 reforms, the EPA has reevaluated and published more stringent rulings on highly hazardous chemicals,
but in the past year, the federal agency has changed direction
and is reconsidering many of these rulings amid legal pressure from the chemical industry.

The chemicals include such substances as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and carbon tetrachloride
— all of which are known health hazards and used in chemical manufacturing at Texas facilities.

For environmental advocates like Medcalf, learning about the proposed EPA changes and reconsiderations came to her like whiplash.

She grew up near the petrochemical industry and understands the implications of unregulated chemicals.
https://capitalandmain.com/after-years-of-gains-gop-pushes-to-roll-back-chemical-regulations