ACC raises concern over proposed federal regulations that could hinder innovation and supply chain resiliency; regulations on chemical industry impose US$7B in annual costs to the economy, group says

WASHINGTON (June 14, 2023) — In connection with today’s hearing of the House Committee on Government Oversight and Accountability on the burdens of regulatory red tape, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) submitted a statement for the record to the committee outlining industry’s concern with a growing number of proposed federal regulations that could stifle innovation and weaken supply chain resiliency. 

The statement for the record outlines the fact that the U.S. business of chemistry is already a heavily regulated subsector of American manufacturing, with the Code of Federal Regulations alone containing more than one million restrictions applicable to chemical manufacturers and annual compliance costs estimated to be between $2 billion and $3 billion. On top of this, ACC has identified 13 currently proposed regulations on the chemical industry that impose a collective cost to the economy of close to $7 billion per year using the agencies’ own estimates.

“ACC has long supported responsible regulation that puts science first, promotes innovation and supports supply chain resiliency,” said ACC President and CEO Chris Jahn. “We are very concerned by a growing number of proposed federal regulations that would not meet these standards. Unless the Administration moderates several of these proposed regulations, critical chemistries will suffer—and the important products they support will suffer as well.”

The statement notes that ACC is concerned that some of these regulations will restrict or entirely prohibit critical chemistries that make up the supply chain for important technologies, including many that are policy priorities under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and CHIPS and Science Act.

“The chemical industry is committed to advancing sustainability worldwide, through innovation, collaboration and technologies that enhance the safety and environmental impacts of our products and our operations,” Jahn continued. “Policymakers, the White House, and federal agencies must do a better job of thinking through the real-world supply chain and whole economy impacts of regulatory outcomes so sectors like the U.S. chemical industry are not stifled and can continue to be a solutions provider for many of the challenges we face as a society.”