A former chemical industry executive who fought tougher regulations during the first Trump administration is returning to take on a key role at the Environmental Protection Agency, raising concerns about corporate influence over chemical safety regulations. There is.
Nancy B. Beck, a toxicologist and former executive with the American Chemistry Council, the industry's main trade group, has been appointed senior advisor to the EPA's Office of Chemical Safety. She helped oversee chemical policy in a role similar to the one she held from 2017 to 2021, according to an email sent to agency staff.
Dr. Beck is credited with leading widespread opposition to chemical regulations during the first Trump administration, and subsequent internal investigations have accused him of political interference in the agency's science and policy decisions. For example, she rewrote rules that make it difficult to track and regulate the health effects of “forever chemicals” linked to cancer.
She also helped roll back proposed bans on other substances such as asbestos and methylene chloride, a harmful chemical found in paint thinner. Neither the EPA nor Dr. Beck responded to requests for comment for this article.
Hunton Andrews Kurth, the law firm where Beck most recently served as director of regulatory science, said he is no longer with the firm. Dr. Beck is listed as a political appointee on the EPA staff directory.
Dr. Beck will be joined by Lynne Ann Decleva, who also worked at the American Chemistry Council, and will return to her role as deputy assistant administrator to help oversee new chemicals. An environmental engineer by training, her career in the chemical industry includes more than 30 years at chemical giant DuPont.
A recent report released by the EPA's Office of Inspector General said that under Dr. Decleba, officials were forced to approve new chemicals based on less rigorous evaluations and faced retaliation for raising concerns.
Dr. Decleba did not respond to requests for comment.
Chris Jahn, CEO of the American Chemistry Council, said in a statement that the organization will “work with all EPA staff to support sound science” and strengthen U.S. competitiveness and jobs. He said he is looking forward to the policies that will be created.
The appointment of Dr. Beck and Dr. Decleba to advisory or deputy positions at the agency is not expected to require parliamentary approval. Dr. Beck was previously nominated to chair the Consumer Product Safety Commission in 2020, but was accused by Democrats and environmental groups of using his previous government position to advance the chemical industry's agenda. It did not come to a vote in parliament.
“Nancy Beck, the EPA's 'toxics czar' during the first Trump administration, is back to fulfill the chemical industry's wish list,” says Environmental Advocate Natural Resources Defense Council's Federal Toxic Substances Council. said Policy Director Daniel Rosenberg. “We are on the verge of weakening health protections” from toxic chemicals, he said.
The Biden administration has spent the past four years trying to catch up on regulations for the most dangerous chemicals on the market, mandated by a law strengthened in 2016.
The Biden administration has proposed or finalized limits on 10 dangerous chemicals, including trichlorethylene, which is used in cleaning products and lubricants and has been linked to cancer. Asbestos is a heat-resistant and fire-resistant mineral that is widely used in building materials and can cause cancer. lung disease. More than 80,000 chemicals currently on the market are not subject to environmental testing or regulation.
The Biden administration also established the first federal standard for PFAS “permanent chemicals” in drinking water, designating two types of PFAS as hazardous under legislation that shifts responsibility for cleaning up toxic substances from taxpayers to industry. did.
The chemical industry is calling on the Trump administration to roll back many of these rules. In a letter to Trump last month, a coalition of industry groups, including the Chemistry Council, called for a shift in what they called the Biden administration's “unscientific, sledgehammer approach” to chemical policy.
In the letter, the industry groups specifically ask the Trump administration to reconsider the PFAS drinking water standards and the hazardous designation of two PFAS chemicals. It is also pressuring the EPA to speed up reviews of new chemicals and back off efforts to impose new regulations on existing chemicals, which has led to “confusion, duplication, and overregulation.” claims the chemical company.
