EPA faces pressure from environmental groups and industry over chemical safety rules

A coalition of 17 environmental groups has submitted comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency urging it to reject Chemours' proposed PFAS compound, Opteon 2P50, intended for use in datacenter cooling. The groups argue the chemical poses significant toxicity and climate risks and that its approval would violate existing law.

Separately, a coalition of 75 industry groups, including the American Chemistry Council and the American Petroleum Institute, sent a joint letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, OSHA Administrator Dave Keeling, and OMB Director Russell Vought. The letter calls for a single federal framework to protect workers from chemical hazards, stating that “work jointly, using the authorities provided under Section 9 of the Toxic Substances Control Act.” The industry group claims that overlapping regulations create confusion and hinder safety.

Both actions highlight ongoing debates about how the EPA and OSHA should regulate hazardous chemicals in the United States, balancing environmental concerns, worker safety, and industry interests.