 Energy & Environment |
Energy & Environment |
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EPA moves to regulate vinyl chloride |
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday proposed designating one of the toxic substances spilled by a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, as a high-priority chemical under the Toxic Substances Control Act, the next step to a full ban. |
Vinyl chloride, a hazardous substance used in the production of plastics, is one of five chemicals for which the EPA announced it will explore a designation. The other substances include acetaldehyde, acrylonitrile, benzenamine and 4,4'-methylene bis(2-chloroaniline). They were selected from a longer list of chemicals the agency had previously identified for additional assessment. "Studying the safety of these harmful chemicals – all five of which have been linked to cancer and are used to make plastic – would help lead to critical public health and environmental protections in communities across the country and would ensure that the public has access to more data on these chemicals sooner," Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Michal Freedhoff said in a statement. Vinyl chloride has been tied to liver, brain, and lung cancer and its presence in the 2023 East Palestine derailment is one of the major reasons residents remain concerned about possible long-term health hazards, even though no one was killed or injured in the immediate crash. Environmental protection officials have raised concerns about vinyl chloride going back to the 1970s, and in recent years, as more municipalities replace lead pipes, new concerns have emerged about potential chemical leaching from PVC replacements. Read more in a full report at TheHill.com. |
Welcome to The Hill's Energy & Environment newsletter, I'm Zack Budryk — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains. |
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How policy will affect the energy and environment sectors now and in the future: |
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Air pollution is worsening near massive e-commerce warehouses as a result of constant traffic around these hubs, a new study found. |
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Monday broke the record for the hottest day on Earth, marking the second straight day of temperatures surpassing the previous high. |
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Toxic “forever chemicals” are increasingly appearing in U.S. pesticides — contaminating waterways and posing a possible threat to human health, a new study has found. |
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Branch out with a different read on The Hill: |
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The teeth of Komodo dragons, the world's largest lizards, are coated in a protective layer of iron, a new study has found. | |
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Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: |
The Senate Appropriations Committee is marking up a Senate bill to fund the EPA and Interior Department for FY2025. The Senate Indian Affairs Committee is holding a hearing on legislation related to tribal forest protection and water rights claims.
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News we've flagged from other outlets touching on energy issues, the environment and other topics: |
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How 'carbon cowboys' are cashing in on protected Amazon forest (The Washington Post)
Democrats launch bill holding oil firms accountable for any work with OPEC (Reuters) Climate change is ending the Sun Belt boom (Yahoo Finance)
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Two key stories on The Hill right now: |
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Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) filed articles of impeachment against Vice President Harris on Tuesday, as Republicans ramp up attacks while she launches a presidential campaign. Read more |
| House Republicans' ambitious hopes of passing their annual government funding bills by next week are quickly crumbling as a tight schedule and intraparty rifts threaten efforts to approve their spending blueprints for 2025. Read more |
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You're all caught up. See you tomorrow! |
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