Representative Mike Collins (R) has sent a letter to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Lee Zeldin, urging him to reverse an action taken in the final days of the Biden administration that threatens the American recreational boatbuilding industry.
For context, President Biden's EPA moved to make styrene a priority for risk evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), putting the substance under review for possible new risk standards, restrictions, or a complete ban on its use.
This took place in December 2024, and Collins believes this action was regulatory overreach, unnecessary, harmful to U.S. manufacturing, and a direct threat to American jobs.
Collins explained the harmful nature of this regulation, clarifying the role that styrene plays in boat manufacturing. “Styrene is an organic compound used in the formulation of polyester resins for fiberglass-reinforced plastics and has been used safely in boatbuilding for 75 years,” he stated.
“Manufacturers use fiberglass to produce durable, high-quality boat hulls, which was more difficult to achieve using wood or metal,” Collins further explained.
This issue is especially crucial to the American boating industry because 95% of boats sold in the U.S. are made here. The recreational boating industry also contributes more than $230 billion annually to the U.S. economy and supports hundreds of thousands of jobs and tens of thousands of small businesses.
The representative noted that styrene has been safely used in manufacturing for over 75 years. Collins then concluded the letter by urging Zeldin to remove the regulation as soon as possible and warned that it would continue to hold the country back as long as it is active.
“With China and other foreign interests continuously seeking to gain access to supply chains and increase market share in boatbuilding, time is of the essence,” he warned.
Today, I wrote to @epaleezeldin urging the EPA to reverse the Biden administration’s lame-duck styrene review and provide certainty for America’s boat manufacturers.
Read below⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/fYbat4Gqai
— Rep. Mike Collins (@RepMikeCollins) September 24, 2025
