EPA is promulgating amendments to the polymer exemption rule to expand the exemption criteria and exempt manufacturers of eligible polymers from certain section 5 premanufacture notification (PMN) requirements. EPA has determined that the manufacture, processing, distribution in commerce, use, and disposal of new chemical substances meeting the revised polymer exemption criteria will not present an unreasonable risk of injury to human health or the environment under terms of the exemption. These final amendments reflect criteria developed and used by EPA to assess the hazards associated with new polymeric substances over the past 15 years the New Chemicals Program has been in place. EPA believes that these amendments will encourage the manufacture of safer polymers by reducing industry's reporting burden for this category of chemical substances.