Bill
HR 1415
Bars EPA from using IRIS chemical risk assessments in rulemaking, enforcement, permitting, and screening tools, shifting regulatory decisions away from IRIS-based science.
Summary of H.R. 1415 — “No Industrial Restrictions in Secret Act of 2025” (a.k.a. “No IRIS Act of 2025”)
Important note on conflicting metadata
- The top-level bill information provided also lists a separate, non‑substantive resolution congratulating Assistant Chief Tommy Chisum. The bill text supplied and the sponsors/committees correspond to substantive legislation titled the “No IRIS Act of 2025.” This summary focuses on the substantive text of H.R. 1415 introduced February 18, 2025. Users should check the Congressional Record or committee reports for authoritative status information because some procedural entries (e.g., placement on a “Congratulatory & Memorial Res. Calendar” and “adopted”) appear inconsistent with the substantive regulatory bill.
Purpose and intent
- The bill would prohibit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from using chemical health risk assessments produced by EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) in rulemakings, enforcement, permitting, and certain screening or mapping tools. The apparent aim is to restrict IRIS assessments from influencing regulatory actions by the EPA.
Key provisions
- Short title: “No Industrial Restrictions in Secret Act of 2025” or the “No IRIS Act of 2025.”
- Core prohibition (Section 2): “Notwithstanding any other provision of law,” the EPA Administrator may not use any assessment generated by the IRIS program to:
1. develop, finalize, or issue a rule or regulation;
2. carry out any other regulatory, enforcement, or permitting action; or
3. inform air toxics assessments or other mapping or screening tools.
- No dollar amounts, implementation dates, or exceptions are specified in the text excerpt provided.
Who would be affected
- EPA: Directly constrained from relying on IRIS assessments for a wide range of activities.
- Regulated industries (manufacturing, chemical, energy, etc.): Potentially affected by changes in the scientific basis used for permit decisions, enforcement, and regulatory standards.
- States and local agencies: May need to adjust risk assessment approaches if they currently rely on EPA IRIS outputs.
- Public health and environmental organizations: Could be affected if IRIS assessments are excluded from rulemaking or screening tools used to identify chemical risks.
Potential impacts
- Changes EPA’s available scientific inputs for rulemakings, permitting, and enforcement, possibly shifting reliance to other assessment frameworks or to state/local analyses.
- Could delay or alter regulatory action on air toxics and other chemical risks if IRIS assessments previously formed part of the evidentiary basis.
- May generate litigation or interagency disputes over acceptable scientific bases for regulations.
Procedural status and sponsors
- Introduced in House: February 18, 2025; referred to Committee on Energy and Commerce and additionally to Agriculture and Transportation & Infrastructure for jurisdictional review; specifically referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
- Sponsors/cosponsors include Rep. Glenn Grothman (primary sponsor) and multiple cosponsors (e.g., Scott Franklin, Jake Ellzey, Michael Guest, Julia Letlow, Derek Schmidt, etc.).
- A companion bill is listed as S. 623.
- Some provided actions (placed on Congratulatory & Memorial Res. Calendar; adopted; reported enrolled on June 1, 2025) appear inconsistent with the bill text and should be independently verified.
For exact legal effect, implementation details, or committee reports, consult the official bill text and Congressional Record.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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