On October 29, 2025, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works favorably reported several nominations, including Jeffrey Hall to be an Assistant Administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Douglas Troutman to be Assistant Administrator for Toxic Substances at EPA, each by a vote of ten to nine along party lines. The Committee considered Hall’s nomination during a July 23, 2025, hearing, during which Committee Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) asked Hall about his plans to improve Superfund cleanups. According to the Committee’s July 23, 2025, press release, Hall responded that Superfund enforcement will continue to be a priority and that EPA will “continue to use all the tools available and push it forward.” During an October 8, 2025, hearing, the Committee considered Troutman’s nomination. The Committee’s October 8, 2025, press release states that Capito asked Troutman what specific reforms he would pursue to achieve “both faster [new chemical] reviews and predictably, commercially viable outcomes.” Troutman testified that “EPA needs to ensure that the reviews of new chemicals are timely, using the best available science, and to follow the statutory instructions provided by Congress.” Troutman noted that “there are new resources coming to the office of chemical safety and pollution prevention, both in new team members, but also in additional resources, such as technological resources, IT resources, which we appreciate from Congress to speed up those reviews and to make sure they are done in a timely manner.” Both nominations will now be considered by the full Senate.
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