Latest news with #ToxicSubstancesControlAct
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Trump administration pulls back on plans to rewrite Biden-era asbestos ban
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is dropping plans to allow continued use of the last type of asbestos legally allowed in U.S. manufacturing after an outcry from asbestos opponents. The Environmental Protection Agency said in a court filing Monday that it will now defend the Biden administration's ban of chrysotile asbestos, which is used in products like brake blocks and sheet gaskets. The carcinogenic chemical has been mostly phased out in the U.S., but last year, the agency under former President Joe Biden sought to finish the decadeslong fight with a comprehensive ban. The EPA in 2024 said 'exposure to asbestos is known to cause lung cancer, mesothelioma, ovarian cancer, and laryngeal cancer, and it is linked to more than 40,000 deaths in the U.S. each year." The EPA had said in a federal appeals court filing last month that parts of the ban may have gone 'beyond what is necessary to eliminate the unreasonable risk' and that other options such as requiring workplace protection measures might eliminate that risk. The agency said it planned a roughly 30-month process to write new rules. But industry associations have already filed suit against the Biden administration's ban. So has the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, which fights asbestos-related diseases and believes the ban isn't as airtight as it needs to be. The nonprofit opposed pausing the case so the EPA could revisit the rule, arguing that any new proposal would likely be met by lawsuits, too. All the work that's gone into the current litigation shouldn't be wasted, the nonprofit said. And a pause would also mean a delay in the rule's implementation. Lynn Ann Dekleva, the agency's deputy assistant administrator of the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, said in a Monday filing that the EPA won't go through a process to rewrite the rule. The EPA now says the Biden administration 'failed to adequately protect chemical industry workers from health risks posed by chrysotile asbestos.' 'To remedy the previous Administration's approach, we notified the court that we intend to reconsider the applicability of interim workplace protection requirements during the replacement of asbestos gaskets for all workers,' EPA Press Secretary Brigit Hirsch said in a statement. Linda Reinstein, president and CEO of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, said she was elated the EPA isn't going to reconsider the Biden administration's ban. She speculated that the EPA didn't like public reaction to its position. But she said the EPA's new statement doesn't make sense – the EPA should be talking about a ban, not workplace protections, and it should be protecting all workers, not just those involved with gaskets. The New York Times was first to report the development. Chrysotile asbestos is found in products such as brake blocks, asbestos diaphragms and sheet gaskets and was banned under the Toxic Substances Control Act, which was broadened in 2016. The Biden administration said it moved forward with a ban after decades of inadequate protections and delays in setting better standards. The EPA's previous move to reconsider the ban had been among dozens of deregulatory actions in the first months of the Trump administration. 'This is just the beginning of the public backlash against the Trump administration's plans to roll back 31 standards that protect the air we breathe and the water we drink,' said Michelle Roos, executive director of the Environmental Protection Network. "Public health is not up for negotiation.' The American Chemistry Council trade group declined to comment. ___ St. John reported from Detroit. ___ The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP's environmental coverage, visit
Hamilton Spectator
08-07-2025
- Automotive
- Hamilton Spectator
Trump administration pulls back on plans to rewrite Biden-era asbestos ban
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is dropping plans to allow continued use of the last type of asbestos legally allowed in U.S. manufacturing after an outcry from asbestos opponents. The Environmental Protection Agency said in a court filing Monday that it will now defend the Biden administration's ban of chrysotile asbestos , which is used in products like brake blocks and sheet gaskets. The carcinogenic chemical has been mostly phased out in the U.S., but last year, the agency under former President Joe Biden sought to finish the decadeslong fight with a comprehensive ban. The EPA in 2024 said 'exposure to asbestos is known to cause lung cancer, mesothelioma, ovarian cancer, and laryngeal cancer, and it is linked to more than 40,000 deaths in the U.S. each year.' The EPA had said in a federal appeals court filing last month that parts of the ban may have gone 'beyond what is necessary to eliminate the unreasonable risk' and that other options such as requiring workplace protection measures might eliminate that risk. The agency said it planned a roughly 30-month process to write new rules. But industry associations have already filed suit against the Biden administration's ban. So has the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, which fights asbestos-related diseases and believes the ban isn't as airtight as it needs to be. The nonprofit opposed pausing the case so the EPA could revisit the rule, arguing that any new proposal would likely be met by lawsuits, too. All the work that's gone into the current litigation shouldn't be wasted, the nonprofit said. And a pause would also mean a delay in the rule's implementation. Lynn Ann Dekleva, the agency's deputy assistant administrator of the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, said in a Monday filing that the EPA won't go through a process to rewrite the rule. The EPA now says the Biden administration 'failed to adequately protect chemical industry workers from health risks posed by chrysotile asbestos.' 'To remedy the previous Administration's approach, we notified the court that we intend to reconsider the applicability of interim workplace protection requirements during the replacement of asbestos gaskets for all workers,' EPA Press Secretary Brigit Hirsch said in a statement. Linda Reinstein, president and CEO of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, said she was elated the EPA isn't going to reconsider the Biden administration's ban. She speculated that the EPA didn't like public reaction to its position. But she said the EPA's new statement doesn't make sense – the EPA should be talking about a ban, not workplace protections, and it should be protecting all workers, not just those involved with gaskets. The New York Times was first to report the development. Chrysotile asbestos is found in products such as brake blocks, asbestos diaphragms and sheet gaskets and was banned under the Toxic Substances Control Act, which was broadened in 2016 . The Biden administration said it moved forward with a ban after decades of inadequate protections and delays in setting better standards. The EPA's previous move to reconsider the ban had been among dozens of deregulatory actions in the first months of the Trump administration. 'This is just the beginning of the public backlash against the Trump administration's plans to roll back 31 standards that protect the air we breathe and the water we drink,' said Michelle Roos, executive director of the Environmental Protection Network. 'Public health is not up for negotiation.' The American Chemistry Council trade group declined to comment. ___ St. John reported from Detroit. ___ The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP's environmental coverage, visit
San Francisco Chronicle
08-07-2025
- Automotive
- San Francisco Chronicle
Trump administration pulls back on plans to rewrite Biden-era asbestos ban
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is dropping plans to allow continued use of the last type of asbestos legally allowed in U.S. manufacturing after an outcry from asbestos opponents. The Environmental Protection Agency said in a court filing Monday that it will now defend the Biden administration's ban of chrysotile asbestos, which is used in products like brake blocks and sheet gaskets. The carcinogenic chemical has been mostly phased out in the U.S., but last year, the agency under former President Joe Biden sought to finish the decadeslong fight with a comprehensive ban. The EPA in 2024 said 'exposure to asbestos is known to cause lung cancer, mesothelioma, ovarian cancer, and laryngeal cancer, and it is linked to more than 40,000 deaths in the U.S. each year." The EPA had said in a federal appeals court filing last month that parts of the ban may have gone 'beyond what is necessary to eliminate the unreasonable risk' and that other options such as requiring workplace protection measures might eliminate that risk. The agency said it planned a roughly 30-month process to write new rules. But industry associations have already filed suit against the Biden administration's ban. So has the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, which fights asbestos-related diseases and believes the ban isn't as airtight as it needs to be. The nonprofit opposed pausing the case so the EPA could revisit the rule, arguing that any new proposal would likely be met by lawsuits, too. All the work that's gone into the current litigation shouldn't be wasted, the nonprofit said. And a pause would also mean a delay in the rule's implementation. Lynn Ann Dekleva, the agency's deputy assistant administrator of the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, said in a Monday filing that the EPA won't go through a process to rewrite the rule. The EPA now says the Biden administration 'failed to adequately protect chemical industry workers from health risks posed by chrysotile asbestos.' 'To remedy the previous Administration's approach, we notified the court that we intend to reconsider the applicability of interim workplace protection requirements during the replacement of asbestos gaskets for all workers,' EPA Press Secretary Brigit Hirsch said in a statement. Linda Reinstein, president and CEO of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, said she was elated the EPA isn't going to reconsider the Biden administration's ban. She speculated that the EPA didn't like public reaction to its position. But she said the EPA's new statement doesn't make sense – the EPA should be talking about a ban, not workplace protections, and it should be protecting all workers, not just those involved with gaskets. The New York Times was first to report the development. Chrysotile asbestos is found in products such as brake blocks, asbestos diaphragms and sheet gaskets and was banned under the Toxic Substances Control Act, which was broadened in 2016. The Biden administration said it moved forward with a ban after decades of inadequate protections and delays in setting better standards. The EPA's previous move to reconsider the ban had been among dozens of deregulatory actions in the first months of the Trump administration. 'This is just the beginning of the public backlash against the Trump administration's plans to roll back 31 standards that protect the air we breathe and the water we drink,' said Michelle Roos, executive director of the Environmental Protection Network. "Public health is not up for negotiation.' ___
Winnipeg Free Press
08-07-2025
- Automotive
- Winnipeg Free Press
Trump administration pulls back on plans to rewrite Biden-era asbestos ban
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is dropping plans to allow continued use of the last type of asbestos legally allowed in U.S. manufacturing after an outcry from asbestos opponents. The Environmental Protection Agency said in a court filing Monday that it will now defend the Biden administration's ban of chrysotile asbestos, which is used in products like brake blocks and sheet gaskets. The carcinogenic chemical has been mostly phased out in the U.S., but last year, the agency under former President Joe Biden sought to finish the decadeslong fight with a comprehensive ban. The EPA in 2024 said 'exposure to asbestos is known to cause lung cancer, mesothelioma, ovarian cancer, and laryngeal cancer, and it is linked to more than 40,000 deaths in the U.S. each year.' The EPA had said in a federal appeals court filing last month that parts of the ban may have gone 'beyond what is necessary to eliminate the unreasonable risk' and that other options such as requiring workplace protection measures might eliminate that risk. The agency said it planned a roughly 30-month process to write new rules. But industry associations have already filed suit against the Biden administration's ban. So has the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, which fights asbestos-related diseases and believes the ban isn't as airtight as it needs to be. The nonprofit opposed pausing the case so the EPA could revisit the rule, arguing that any new proposal would likely be met by lawsuits, too. All the work that's gone into the current litigation shouldn't be wasted, the nonprofit said. And a pause would also mean a delay in the rule's implementation. Lynn Ann Dekleva, the agency's deputy assistant administrator of the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, said in a Monday filing that the EPA won't go through a process to rewrite the rule. The EPA now says the Biden administration 'failed to adequately protect chemical industry workers from health risks posed by chrysotile asbestos.' 'To remedy the previous Administration's approach, we notified the court that we intend to reconsider the applicability of interim workplace protection requirements during the replacement of asbestos gaskets for all workers,' EPA Press Secretary Brigit Hirsch said in a statement. Linda Reinstein, president and CEO of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, said she was elated the EPA isn't going to reconsider the Biden administration's ban. She speculated that the EPA didn't like public reaction to its position. But she said the EPA's new statement doesn't make sense – the EPA should be talking about a ban, not workplace protections, and it should be protecting all workers, not just those involved with gaskets. The New York Times was first to report the development. Chrysotile asbestos is found in products such as brake blocks, asbestos diaphragms and sheet gaskets and was banned under the Toxic Substances Control Act, which was broadened in 2016. The Biden administration said it moved forward with a ban after decades of inadequate protections and delays in setting better standards. The EPA's previous move to reconsider the ban had been among dozens of deregulatory actions in the first months of the Trump administration. 'This is just the beginning of the public backlash against the Trump administration's plans to roll back 31 standards that protect the air we breathe and the water we drink,' said Michelle Roos, executive director of the Environmental Protection Network. 'Public health is not up for negotiation.' The American Chemistry Council trade group declined to comment. ___ St. John reported from Detroit. ___ The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP's environmental coverage, visit
26-06-2025
Philadelphia's schools accused of failing to properly inspect asbestos in buildings
PHILADELPHIA -- Federal prosecutors on Thursday charged Philadelphia's public schools with failing to properly inspect eight schools for damaged asbestos. The district agreed to have the criminal case deferred while it pays for a court supervised monitor to keep tabs on its response. Prosecutors said it was the first time a school district in the U.S. has faced such environmental criminal allegations. The district is charged with eight counts of violating the federal Toxic Substances Control Act for allegedly failing to perform inspections in a timely manner during a recent five-year period. Authorities said a judge must approve the terms of the deferred prosecution agreement, which avoids a grand jury indictment. If the school district complies with the relevant federal law, the government can eventually drop the charges. About 300 of the school district's aging set of 339 buildings contain asbestos, the U.S. attorney's office said in a release. Asbestos, a construction material in wide use until the 1980s, has been linked to cancer and lung disease. Investigators said some asbestos was improperly addressed and that schools have had to close as a result of asbestos problems. Prosecutors said the 'longstanding and widespread problem' put students and teachers in danger. The deferred prosecution agreement says the school system has already improved policies, procedures and compliance regarding asbestos inspections and abatement. Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. told The Philadelphia Inquirer the deferred prosecution agreement is a sign of the district's progress in addressing the problem. He noted the district will train workers on asbestos management as part of the deal.
