Sponsors (4)
The bill eases regulatory burdens and uncertainty for industry and agencies by limiting EPA's use of IRIS toxicity evaluations, but at the cost of weaker chemical protections, higher public-health risks for vulnerable communities, and potential cost-shifting to states and taxpayers.
Regulated industries (e.g., utilities and energy companies) and permitting authorities face fewer science-based constraints, reducing compliance costs and permitting delays for projects.
Federal agencies and taxpayers face less regulatory uncertainty because rulemaking will be less likely to rely on contested or changing IRIS toxicity values.
Local, urban, and rural communities — including children, seniors, and people with disabilities — may face higher exposure to hazardous air pollutants because EPA cannot use IRIS evaluations for air toxics assessments and mapping, increasing public-health risks.
EPA's authority to regulate toxic chemicals through rulemaking, enforcement, and permitting is weakened, potentially delaying protections and worsening harms for vulnerable populations.
Removing a scientific basis for some regulations could increase legal challenges, create uneven protections across states, and shift cleanup and health costs onto state governments and taxpayers.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Stops the EPA Administrator from using IRIS program assessments for rulemaking, permits/enforcement, air toxics assessments, or mapping/screening tools.
Introduced February 18, 2025 by John Neely Kennedy · Last progress February 18, 2025
Prohibits the EPA Administrator from using any assessment produced by the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) program to develop, finalize, or issue rules or regulations, to carry out regulatory, enforcement, or permitting actions, or to inform air toxics assessments or mapping and screening tools. The bill only sets this operational limitation and does not create new funding, programs, or other substantive authorities. This change would restrict EPA staff and decisionmakers from relying on IRIS assessments across a range of regulatory and analytical activities, potentially shifting which science or data the agency can use when setting or enforcing pollution-related rules and permitting decisions.