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.
Children’s health researchers gathered at a legislative briefing in Washington, DC this week to share recent science on how phthalates, organophosphate pesticides, food additives and other chemicals harm kids’ brains.
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.
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.
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.
By Shannon Kelleher
US regulators have failed to protect the public from millions of plastic containers that contain toxic PFAS chemicals, which can leach into pesticides, condiments, household cleaners, and many other products, alleges a lawsuit filed this week by environmental groups
By Shannon Kelleher
A US appeals court has vacated an action by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ordering a company to stop producing plastic containers that leach toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) into pesticides, household cleaners, condiments, and many other products.