EPA Accepting Public Comments on Candidates Under Consideration for Selection as ad hoc Reviewers for Draft TSCA Screening Level Approach for Assessing Ambient Air and Water Exposures to Fenceline Communities

(WASHINGTON, December 21, 2021) - EPA is now accepting public comments on candidates under consideration for selection as ad hoc reviewers assisting the Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC) with their review of the draft EPA Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Screening Level Approach for Assessing Ambient Air and Water Exposures to Fenceline Communities. This call for comments follows an October 2021 call for nominations of candidates. The comments will be used to assist the agency in selecting approximately six to eight ad hoc reviewers to assist the SACC with their review. Biographies of these candidates are available in the docket at www.regulations.gov and through the SACC website.

EPA published ten final risk evaluations between 2020 and 2021 under TSCA as amended by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act in June 2016. During the course of finalizing many of these first 10 risk evaluations, a policy decision was made by the previous Administration that EPA not assess air and water exposure pathways that fall under the jurisdiction of other EPA-administered laws. This policy decision was reversed in June 2021. EPA is presenting Version 1.0 of a screening level methodology for assessing potential air and water pathway chemical exposures to fenceline communities. Along with presenting this methodology, EPA will also present results of applying the screening methodology (case studies) to 1-Brompropane (air pathway), n-methylpyrrolidone (water pathway), and Methylene Chloride (air and water pathway).

Public comments must be submitted on or before January 5, 2022. The review will take place during a public meeting anticipated for March 15-17, 2022, registration instructions will be announced on the SACC website in early February 2022.

Public comments must be submitted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments. Do not electronically submit any information you consider to be Confidential Business Information or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Copyrighted material will not be posted without explicit permission of the copyright holder. Members of the public should also be aware that personal contact information, if included in any written comments, may be posted on the internet.

The SACC serves as a primary scientific peer review mechanism of the EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) and is structured to provide scientific advice, information and recommendations to the EPA Administrator on the scientific basis for risk assessments, methodologies, and pollution prevention measures and approaches for chemicals regulated under TSCA.

For additional information, please see the Federal Register notice posted October 27, 2021, or contact the Designated Federal Official, Alaa Kamel, Ph.D. (kamel.alaa@epa.gov or 202-564-8450).