Congress moves to block EPA's ban on toxic flame-retardant chemicals
H.J.Res. 46 — Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to "Decabromodiphenyl Ether and Phenol, Isopropylated Phosphate (3:1); Revision to the Regulation of Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic Chemicals Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)". · Filed by Andrew Clyde (R-GA) · Introduced Feb 12, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This joint resolution disapproves an EPA rule that restricts two flame-retardant chemicals (decabromodiphenyl ether and phenol, isopropylated phosphate) classified as persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic under the Toxic Substances Control Act. If passed, the rule would be nullified and the chemicals would remain unregulated under this restriction.
Why we flagged it
This is a Congressional Review Act (CRA) disapproval resolution targeting a specific EPA chemical-safety rule. It uses the procedural mechanism of CRA to block environmental regulation, not to address a procedural defect in the rulemaking itself.
What the text implies
- Disapproving this rule may trigger CRA's 'same rule' prohibition, preventing EPA from issuing a substantially similar restriction on these chemicals without new congressional authorization.
- The chemicals targeted (decabromodiphenyl ether and phenol, isopropylated phosphate) are used in foam, textiles, and electronics; blocking their regulation may reduce costs for manufacturers but extends consumer and worker exposure to bioaccumulative toxins.
- This resolution does not address whether the EPA's underlying scientific finding (that these chemicals are persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic) is correct — it simply overrides the regulatory response to that finding.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Ordinary citizens and workers lose protection from chemicals classified as persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic. These substances accumulate in the body and environment over time; blocking their regulation exposes the public to long-term health risks while benefiting manufacturers who would otherwise bear compliance costs.
Who stands to gain
- flame-retardant chemical manufacturers
- foam and textile producers using these additives
- electronics manufacturers incorporating these flame retardants
Named in the bill
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), decabromodiphenyl ether, phenol, isopropylated phosphate, Congressional Review Act (CRA), Chapter 8, Title 5, United States Code, 89 Fed. Reg. 91486, Rep. Andrew Clyde
Where it stands
- Feb 12, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Feb 12, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
1 lobbying clients named this bill on 1 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $2,760,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 31 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.
More lobbying clients named this bill than 0% of bills with at least one filing.
Andrew Clyde, the sponsor, reported $122,592 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- Koch Government Affairs, LLC — $2,760,000 on 1 filing
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,512 characters) on Jul 2, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 20, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
“Congress moves to block EPA's ban on toxic flame-retardant chemicals” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/hjres46 Report an error
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