06/27/2025

A Welcome Expansion at the EPA

The Wall Street Journal | Jim Hagedorn, Steve Caldeira | June 22, 2025

A Welcome Expansion at the EPA

Kudos to President Trump and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin. The EPA announced last month that it will reassign more than 130 agency scientists to clear the backlog of new chemicals and pesticides that need review before they can be sold. It’s a giant step to protect the environment and human health—and there’s more to do.

Even as the White House pushes to reduce the size of government, some agencies need additional workers to get vital jobs done. That’s certainly true at the EPA, which does more than try to keep air and water clean. It also evaluates chemicals in commercial and household products that prevent contamination in kitchens, infections in hospitals, public-health threats in pests and invasive species in nature.

This review process is the world’s gold standard. But the longer evaluations take, the longer useful products are kept off the shelves. A shortage of scientists has created a backlog of more than 500 new chemical cases and over 1,200 pesticide products, according to the EPA. That means lengthy delays and missed deadlines. Today, 56% of Pesticide Registration Improvement Act cases for “conventional chemicals” are late, as are 72% of cases reviewing products intended for “antimicrobial uses.” That’s unacceptable.

Mr. Zeldin’s move to assign more experts to these reviews—and his larger reorganization of the EPA—will get new products to market more quickly while maintaining rigorous standards. The reorganization also gives the agency new tools to advance a testing strategy for chemicals that pose unique challenges for regulators. Experts need new computational and bioinformatic tools—and eventually artificial intelligence—to streamline and improve review of new chemicals and pesticides.

Robust scientific assessments and timely stamps of approval are good for business, American manufacturing and American competitiveness in a world where other countries are racing to lead innovation. But as welcome as the internal transfer of experts is, it’s only a first step. Legislation is necessary to give the EPA the additional money it needs in the next several years to conduct thorough and timely reviews.

If Congress provides adequate and carefully directed resources, the EPA can improve throughput and timelines, using real-world data and the latest industrial practices that assess risk. The additional resources would also ensure the agency is consistently applying the law’s scientific standards when making safety determinations.

The benefits of this comprehensive ramp-up are manifold. Consumers would no longer be deprived of products that will improve their daily lives. Businesses would be encouraged to invest in innovations right here in America, because the U.S. government is finally giving them the green light.

The administration’s actions are a huge help. But now Congress must pass a law to provide the long-term funding and authority so the EPA can fulfill its mission of protecting the environment and human health.

Mr. Hagedorn is chairman and CEO of the Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. Mr. Caldeira is the president and CEO of the Household and Commercial Products Association.