EPA Extends Submission Deadline for Polymer Exemption Reports under TSCA New Chemicals Program
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is extending the submission deadline for the annual electronic reporting required under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for polymers manufactured under the terms of the polymer exemption for new chemicals to March 31, 2024. Because EPA experienced technical difficulties with the launch of the new electronic reporting tool, EPA is extending the reporting period for 2024 to allow manufacturers adequate time to submit their reports and accompanying claims using the new tool.
Under the terms of the polymer exemption, companies can manufacture polymers meeting the exemption criteria without submission of a premanufacture notice or an exemption notice under the TSCA New Chemicals Program. The polymer exemption is intended to encourage the manufacture of safer polymers by reducing industry's reporting burden for this category of chemicals, and to concentrate the Agency's review resources on substances expected to pose higher risk.
There are recordkeeping requirements to document compliance with the exemption criteria, however, and manufacturers of exempted polymers are required to submit an annual report on the number of exempted polymers for which their manufacture or importation commenced under terms of the exemption during the preceding calendar year.
The regulations require that manufacturers (which includes importers under TSCA) of polymers manufactured under the terms of the exemption submit a report of manufacture or import by January 31 of the year subsequent to initial manufacture. In June 2023, EPA amended the exemption reporting requirement to require that the exemption report and accompanying confidentiality claims be submitted electronically.
You may be potentially affected by this action if you were a manufacturer or importer of a polymer under the terms of the polymer exemption in 2023. To determine whether your entity is regulated by this action, you should carefully examine the applicability criteria found in 40 CFR 723.250.
Reports and accompanying claims must be submitted electronically via CDX (https://cdx.epa.gov/) using the TSCA Section 5 Notices and Supports—ePMN application.
View the Federal Register notice extending the submission deadline.