Congress to Address Chemical-Control Reforms

Two separate bills introduced in both the House and Senate will address the Toxic Substances Control Act, the primary law that enables the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate chemicals used in commerce in the country. The law has not been updated since 1976.

On April 15, Senator Frank Lautenberg (D–N.J.) introduced the “Safe Chemicals Act,” which would be the first reform made to the TSCA and would require manufacturers to provide a minimum data set for each chemical they produce. The bill would also require the EPA to prioritize a list of hazardous chemicals, create a public database of information about those prioritized chemicals and create incentives for companies opting for “green” chemistry.

“America’s system for regulating industrial chemicals is broken,” Lautenberg said in a statement. “The EPA does not have the tools to act on dangerous chemicals, and the chemical industry has asked for stronger laws so that their customers are assured their products are safe.”

The House has released a “discussion draft” of the bill that will be modified in the coming months by government, industry and non-governmental organizations.—Erin Barajas