Published
November 05, 2025
At our recent Chemistry Solutions Forum, policymakers and leading industry voices gathered to plot a course for the future of chemistry policy. During the Forum, four imperatives emerged for a competitive, resilient chemical enterprise:
- Regulatory reform that modernizes TSCA and restores timeliness;
- Innovation to accelerate sustainability and advanced manufacturing;
- Collaboration across industry, regulators, and Congress; and
- Resilience in supply chains aligned with national and economic security.
From Capitol Hill, members of the House Energy & Commerce Committee underscored both urgency and opportunity. Chairman Gary Palmer (R-AL) framed critical minerals as a “space-race” priority, warning that the United States cannot sustain modern manufacturing—from vehicles to appliances—without secure, allied supply chains and domestic refining capability. He also revealed that Congress is awaiting a discussion draft to revise portions of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), aiming to ensure that new chemicals are approved within the 90-day timeline set by law. Palmer cautioned that bipartisan cooperation may be limited but called the bill a top priority despite the ongoing government shutdown.
Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) stressed that lasting TSCA reform must be bipartisan and informed by expertise. He urged lawmakers to pursue “80% of what you were hoping for” if it means achieving durable certainty for businesses. Auchincloss cautioned that industry hesitates to invest when regulation becomes a partisan exercise and called for clearer statutory definitions to provide both EPA and manufacturers with long-term confidence in the system.
From the executive branch, EPA Deputy Assistant Administrator Lynn Dekleva outlined a course-correction toward practical, implementable rules that protect health and the environment without imposing unworkable mandates. She pledged greater transparency on rule feasibility and acknowledged a “bad” new-chemicals backlog, citing steps to right-size the program through resource pivots, automation, and better integration of scientific staff.
Industry voices reinforced the innovation imperative. Peter Huntsman highlighted chemistry’s evolving role in replacing materials with lighter, cleaner, safer solutions even amid global headwinds. Dr. Shawn Gannon of Chemours emphasized the importance of science-based policy rooted in comprehensive evidence, reminding that PFAS and other substances must be evaluated by dose, exposure, and use—because risk always depends on context.
The Chamber will continue to convene stakeholders, champion pragmatic reforms, and advance policies that deliver regulatory certainty and unleash American innovation—because getting chemistry policy right is essential to getting the economy right.
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