Press Releases

Congressman Glenn Grothman (R-WI) has re-introduced the No Industrial Restrictions in Secret Act (No IRIS Act) to reduce undue red tape imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). The No IRIS Act is in the interest of protecting American safety, jobs, and ensuring chemical risk assessments conducted by EPA are driven by the best available science, rather than by political and ideological agendas.

This bill is supported by the American Chemistry Council, Hexion Specialty Chemicals, who has a manufacturing plant in Sheboygan, and over 80 manufacturers around the country. It is cosponsored by Representatives Jake Ellzey (R-TX), Julie Letlow (R-LA), and Michael Guest (R-MS), and is companion legislation to Senator John Kennedy’s (R-LA) bill in the U.S. Senate.

“Unelected bureaucrats have often disrupted the work of Wisconsin's chemical manufacturers and inhibited the success of the industry through the abuse of the EPA’s IRIS program,” said Grothman. “Instead of grounding regulatory decisions in sound science, IRIS has demonstrated a poor track record by issuing assessments that conflict with the industry’s best available scientific expertise and methodologies. The No IRIS Act will protect American jobs, promote innovation, and hold the EPA accountable for acting against the best interest of the industry and our economy.”

“For four years, the Biden administration weaponized the EPA’s IRIS program against America’s chemical industry. My bill would prevent this kind of abuse from happening again and safeguard American businesses from government overreach,” said Kennedy.

"American success relies on American chemistry," said Chris Jahn, President and CEO of the American Chemistry Council. “Computer chips, national defense, modern healthcare, housing, infrastructure, agriculture, and energy are all made possible by America’s chemical industry. Unfortunately, the EPA’s IRIS program puts many critical chemistries in jeopardy. The IRIS program has a troubling history of being out of step with the best available science and methods, lacking transparency, and being unresponsive to peer review and stakeholder recommendations.  It’s time for Congress and EPA to take action and put sound science at the forefront of regulatory decision-making, and we applaud Senator Kennedy and Congressman Grothman for their leadership on this important issue.”

Background Information

The EPA established the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) program in 1985 to gather data on how chemicals impact human health, however, it was never authorized by Congress. Under the previous administration, the EPA relied on flawed data from IRIS assessments during the rulemaking process, disregarding other relevant information and public input. Despite the program's inherent flaws, it was used to establish chemical threshold assessments that have had severe consequences for private industries.

The No IRIS Act will prevent the EPA from using IRIS assessments as their primary source to draft its rulemakings.

In November 2023, Grothman’s amendment to restrict funding for IRIS was included in the House-passed Interior Appropriations bill.

Click here for the full text of the No IRIS Act.

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U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Glenbeulah) serves the people of Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.