Proposed changes to the nation’s premier chemical safety law are necessary for American competitiveness, Senate Republicans said in a hearing on Wednesday, as Democrats warned the changes will harm public health.
Senate Republicans released a draft discussion bill on Thursday aimed at loosening the nation’s premier chemical safety law with the goal of reducing chemical review delays.
The deep rift between Democrats and Republicans over the future of the nation’s premier chemical safety law was on full display on Thursday in a hearing designed to kickstart legislation that would allow faster federal approvals for new chemicals.
In a widely anticipated move, House Republicans released a draft bill that would roll back several provisions in the nation’s premier chemical safety law with the stated goal of bolstering manufacturing and innovation.
Hundreds of environmental and health groups are urging Congress not to weaken the nation’s premier chemical safety law as Republican lawmakers signal a willingness to reopen the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
The nation’s main office for protecting Americans from harmful chemicals is welcoming its fourth prominent industry insider since President Trump took office, adding to an administration full of former lobbyists and corporate executives who are making environmental policy.
There is a battle brewing over the future of how the US EPA evaluates chemicals for safety. Over the past decade, industry groups have called for changes to the Toxic Substances Control Act saying the chemical review process is slow. Now these industry concerns have made it to Congress, with Republicans signaling a desire to revisit the law.
Health, environmental and labor groups are voicing their opposition to the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed changes to the nation’s premier chemical safety law, saying the changes will leave workers and everyday Americans more vulnerable to hazardous chemical exposures.
Industry leaders and Republicans in Congress again signaled their desire to hasten federal reviews of new chemicals at a Senate hearing, while an environmental health expert warned such changes will lead to more pollution and human health impacts.
US manufacturers who late last year asked the incoming Trump administration for a “regulatory reset” have seen roughly 80% of their specific regulatory requests acted on in just the first eight months of Trump taking office.