The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued an interim final rule for trichloroethylene (TCE) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that extends certain TCE ban compliance deadlines.  

The extended deadlines apply to critical infrastructure and national security applications involving the use of TCE for manufacturing nuclear fuel. An extended deadline also applies to certain industrial chemical processors that dispose of TCE into wastewater and/or use TCE as a processing aid. 

The prohibition compliance date for these TCE uses was previously September 15, 2025. The interim final rule delays the compliance dates as follows: 

• September 15, 2028 - Use of TCE as a processing aid in nuclear fuel manufacturing (previously categorized as miscellaneous) 

• December 18, 2026 - The disposal of TCE to wastewater by certain industrial chemical processors and the use of TCE as a processing aid 

EPA also extended the compliance deadline for downstream notification and Safety Data Sheet (SDS) amendments, allowing 90 rather than 60 days after the publication of the final rule for TCE manufacturers, processors, and distributors to comply with notification and SDS update requirements.  

EPA’s Previous TCE Rules 

EPA uses TSCA to control industrial chemical use in the U.S. In 2024, the agency issued new rules under TSCA that banned all consumer uses and many commercial uses of TCE, a volatile organic compound often used for industrial and commercial processes and found in consumer goods. The rules put in place mandatory phaseouts of TCE staggered over 50 years.  

EPA’s latest announcement walks back some of these restrictions.  

What’s Next for TCE Compliance?  

The previous TCE compliance deadlines are effective until EPA modifies them through this new rulemaking. The agency is accepting public comments on the interim final rule until October 17. EPA is requesting feedback on the following: 

• The ability of nuclear fuel manufacturers to comply with the phaseout timeframe in this interim final rule. 

• Alternative compliance timeframes for manufacturers of nuclear fuel to comply with a prohibition on TCE. 

• The number of potentially exposed persons who work in facilities that manufacture nuclear fuel and the worker protections at such facilities. 

• Information related to the use of TCE that may not have been previously available to EPA.

• Information related to the disposal of TCE that may not have been previously available to EPA.

• The ability of chemical processors to comply with the Workplace Chemical Protection Program for the disposal of TCE to wastewater before the TCE ban.