{"abstract":"On January 26, 2023, EPA received a petition from Blueland, Plastic Pollution Coalition, and partners, including Beyond Plastics, Plastic Oceans International, The Shaw Institute, Lonely Whale, 5 Gyres, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), Oceanic Global Foundation, The Last Beach Cleanup, Rio Grande International Study Center, Inland Ocean Coalition, Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, Turtle Island Restoration Network, Friends of the Earth, Surfrider, and Made Safe. The petition requests under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that EPA require manufacturers and processors of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) affiliated with EPA's Safer Choice certification program to fund and conduct health and environmental safety testing using independent, third-party scientists. The petition also requests under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) that EPA update the status of PVA on EPA's Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL) from ``green circle'' to ``gray square'' until the testing is complete and reviewed by EPA. The Safer Choice program is a voluntary EPA program that certifies cleaning and other products made with ingredients that meet criteria for human health and the environment and manages these safer ingredients on the SCIL. After careful consideration, the EPA has denied the TSCA petition and APA petition requests for reasons discussed in this document.","action":"Petition; reasons for Agency response.","agencies":[{"raw_name":"ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY","name":"Environmental Protection Agency","id":145,"url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/environmental-protection-agency","json_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/api/v1/agencies/145","parent_id":null,"slug":"environmental-protection-agency"}],"body_html_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/html/2023/04/27/2023-08864.html","cfr_references":[{"chapter":0,"citation_url":null,"part":null,"title":40}],"citation":"88 FR 25590","comment_url":null,"comments_close_on":null,"correction_of":null,"corrections":[],"dates":"EPA's response to the petition was signed on April 21, 2023.","disposition_notes":null,"docket_ids":["EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0923","FRL-10453-01-OCSPP"],"dockets":[{"supporting_documents":[{"title":"PVA Petition Response Letter signed by Michal Freedhoff","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0923-0049"},{"title":"P&G Submitted - Study of Microbial degradation of PVA in WWTP","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0923-0048"},{"title":"P&G Submitted - Assessment of the Aquatic and terrestrial toxicity of five biodegradable polymers","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0923-0045"},{"title":"P&G Submitted - Duis Env fate and effects of water soluble synthetic polymers  used in cosmetic products Submitted Duis 2021 IKW Review","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0923-0043"},{"title":"P&G Submitted - EPA Environmental Assessment of Polymers under TSCA","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0923-0042"},{"title":"P&G Submitted - PVOH 18-88 Screening Biodegradation Test Summary CO2 Production in River water using Respirometry","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0923-0041"},{"title":"P&G Submitted - Study Summary PVOH Biodegradation Test (CO2 Production) OECD 301B","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0923-0038"},{"title":"Ref 33 - Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR Part 260 Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims; Final Rule","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0923-0037"},{"title":"Ref 30 - Sorption behavior and mechanism of hydrophilic organic chemicals to virgin and aged microplastics in freshwater and seawater","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0923-0034"},{"title":"Ref 27 - NITE Guideline Bioaccumulation study for PVA","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0923-0031"}],"agency_name":"EPA","documents":[{"comment_count":null,"comment_start_date":null,"updated_at":"2023-04-27T10:56:30.074-04:00","comment_url":"https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0923-0001","allow_late_comments":null,"id":"EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0923-0001","comment_end_date":null,"regulations_dot_gov_open_for_comment":false}],"supporting_documents_count":48,"id":"EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0923","title":"Response to TSCA Section 21 Petition PVA"}],"document_number":"2023-08864","effective_on":null,"end_page":25600,"executive_order_notes":null,"executive_order_number":null,"explanation":null,"full_text_xml_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/xml/2023/04/27/2023-08864.xml","html_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/04/27/2023-08864/polyvinyl-alcohol-pva-tsca-section-21-petition-for-rulemaking-reasons-for-agency-response-denial-of","images":{},"images_metadata":{},"json_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/api/v1/documents/2023-08864?publication_date=2023-04-27","mods_url":"https://www.govinfo.gov/metadata/granule/FR-2023-04-27/2023-08864/mods.xml","not_received_for_publication":null,"page_length":11,"page_views":{"count":1804,"last_updated":"2026-04-04 16:15:04 -0400"},"pdf_url":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2023-04-27/pdf/2023-08864.pdf","presidential_document_number":null,"proclamation_number":null,"public_inspection_pdf_url":"https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2023-08864.pdf?1682513126","publication_date":"2023-04-27","raw_text_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/text/2023/04/27/2023-08864.txt","regulation_id_number_info":{},"regulation_id_numbers":[],"regulations_dot_gov_info":{"supporting_documents":[{"title":"PVA Petition Response Letter signed by Michal Freedhoff","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0923-0049"},{"title":"P&G Submitted - Study of Microbial degradation of PVA in WWTP","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0923-0048"},{"title":"P&G Submitted - Assessment of the Aquatic and terrestrial toxicity of five biodegradable polymers","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0923-0045"},{"title":"P&G Submitted - Duis Env fate and effects of water soluble synthetic polymers  used in cosmetic products Submitted Duis 2021 IKW Review","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0923-0043"},{"title":"P&G Submitted - EPA Environmental Assessment of Polymers under TSCA","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0923-0042"},{"title":"P&G Submitted - PVOH 18-88 Screening Biodegradation Test Summary CO2 Production in River water using Respirometry","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0923-0041"},{"title":"P&G Submitted - Study Summary PVOH Biodegradation Test (CO2 Production) OECD 301B","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0923-0038"},{"title":"Ref 33 - Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR Part 260 Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims; Final Rule","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0923-0037"},{"title":"Ref 30 - Sorption behavior and mechanism of hydrophilic organic chemicals to virgin and aged microplastics in freshwater and seawater","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0923-0034"},{"title":"Ref 27 - NITE Guideline Bioaccumulation study for PVA","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0923-0031"}],"comments_count":0,"agency_id":"EPA","comments_url":"https://www.regulations.gov/docketBrowser?rpp=50&so=DESC&sb=postedDate&po=0&dct=PS&D=EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0923","supporting_documents_count":48,"docket_id":"EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0923","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0923-0001","regulation_id_number":null,"title":"Response to TSCA Section 21 Petition PVA","checked_regulationsdotgov_at":"2023-04-28T13:55:10Z"},"regulations_dot_gov_url":null,"significant":null,"signing_date":null,"start_page":25590,"subtype":null,"title":"Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA); TSCA Section 21 Petition for Rulemaking; Reasons for Agency Response; Denial of Requested Rulemaking","toc_doc":"Polyvinyl Alcohol; Petition for Rulemaking; Denial","toc_subject":"Toxic Substances Control Act:\n","topics":[],"type":"Proposed Rule","volume":88}