Senate EPW hearing on TSCA fees and new-chemicals draft exposes split: industry seeks predictability, Democrats warn of weakened protections

The Senate Environment and Public Works committee heard testimony and questions on a discussion draft titled the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Fee Reauthorization and Improvement Act of 2026, with witnesses and senators sharply divided over how to speed EPA review of new chemicals without weakening protections for public health and the environment.

Acting chair framed the draft as targeted reforms to make EPA’s new-chemicals review more predictable, saying the current implementation has drifted from Congress’s intent and at times imposed costly, one-size-fits-all restrictions that hamper innovation. “When Congress last amended TSCA 10 years ago, we sought to modernize the statute to reflect current needs and technology,” the acting chair said, and the draft seeks to match review periods to submission complexity and to reauthorize a user fee to provide EPA resources.

Ranking Member Whitehouse said he supports fee reauthorization in principle but warned of “corporate capture” and political interference at EPA, arguing reforms must safeguard scientific integrity. “When it comes to chemical safety, the biggest challenge we…