EPA sets rules to regulate toxic chemicals under 2016 law

WASHINGTON – The Environmental Protection Agency has issued new rules and other documents outlining how it will regulate toxic chemicals under a landmark law approved by Congress last year.

The rules were issued Thursday on the one-year anniversary of the law’s signing by former President Barack Obama. The law regulates tens of thousands of toxic chemicals found in everyday products, from household cleaners to clothing and furniture.

Congress approved the Frank Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act last year in a bipartisan bid to clear up a hodgepodge of state rules governing chemicals and update a federal law that had remained unchanged for 40 years.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said the rules issued Thursday demonstrate the Trump administration’s commitment to provide “regulatory certainty to American businesses, while protecting human health and the environment.”