"Nancy Beck and Lynn Ann Dekleva worked in the first Trump administration, where they fought chemical restrictions."
"A former chemical-industry executive who fought against stronger regulations under the first Trump administration is returning to take a critical role at the Environmental Protection Agency, two people with knowledge of the appointment said, raising concerns of corporate influence on chemical safety regulations.
Nancy B. Beck, a toxicologist and former executive at the American Chemistry Council, the industry’s main trade group, is set to reprise a role helping to oversee chemical policy similar to the one she held from 2017 to 2021, though her exact title and scope of work has yet to be determined, the people said. The chemistry council represents dozens of chemical companies and major manufacturers.
Dr. Beck is credited with leading a wide-ranging pushback against chemical regulations during the first Trump administration, as well as what a subsequent internal investigation described as political interference in agency science and policymaking. She rewrote rules, for example, that made it harder to track the health consequences of a “forever chemical” linked to cancer, and therefore to regulate it.
She also helped scale back proposed bans on other substances like asbestos and methylene chloride, a harmful chemical found in paint thinners. Neither the E.P.A. nor Dr. Beck responded to requests for comment for this article."
Hiroko Tabuchi reports for the New York Times January 22, 2025.
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