Opinion ID: 546060
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Toxic Substances Control Act

Text: 2 Enactment of this legislation in 1976 launched a comprehensive program 5 to anticipate and forestall injury to health and the environment from activities involving toxic chemical substances. 6 Congress structured the Act to fill conspicuous gaps in the protection afforded by preexisting fragmented and inadequate statutes, 7 and committed administration of the Act to EPA. 8 A brief resume of the Act's highlights serves the purposes of these appeals. 3 The Act provides in Section 4 for substance testing, 9 and in Section 5 for notice of intent to manufacture new substances or existing substances for significant new uses. 10 Section 6 requires imposition of restrictions when the substance is hazardous, 11 and Section 7 authorizes judicial proceedings for injunctive and other relief when danger is imminent. 12 Section 8 calls for retention and reporting of information, 13 and Section 10 for research, monitoring and dissemination of data. 14 4 Section 6 is one of the most important features of the Act. It specifies that if EPA 5 finds that there is a reasonable basis to conclude that the manufacture, processing, distribution in commerce, use, or disposal of a chemical substance or mixture ... presents or will present an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment, [the agency must] by rule apply one or more of [prescribed] requirements to such substance or mixture to the extent necessary to protect adequately against such risk using the least burdensome requirements. 15 6 These requirements include limitations on manufacture, processing, distribution or use of such substances; 16 regulated methods of disposal of substances; 17 warnings and instructions; 18 notification of unreasonable risks of injury; 19 and preparation and retention of records pertaining to manufacture, processing, monitoring and testing. 20 EPA is also empowered to issue orders exacting individual compliance with the Act. 21 7 Among a variety of mechanisms supplied for enforcement of the Act 22 are two entailing citizen activity. 23 Citizen participation is broadly permitted to ensure that bureaucratic lethargy does not prevent the appropriate administration of this vital authority. 24 One form of citizen participation is authorized by Section 21, 25 and is central to the parties' dispute. By virtue of that section, [a]ny person may petition [EPA] to initiate a proceeding for the issuance, amendment, or repeal of a rule ... or an order under designated provisions of the Act. 26 If EPA grants the petition, it must promptly commence an appropriate proceeding. 27 If, however, a petition requesting issuance of a new rule is denied, or the agency fails to grant or deny the request within a designated period, the petitioner may obtain de novo review in a federal district court. 28 If the petitioner, once in court, meets a preponderance-of-the evidence standard, the court must order EPA to take suitable action. 29 A saving clause in Section 21 specifies that the[se] remedies ... shall be in addition to, and not in lieu of, other remedies provided by law. 30