TSCA Reform Legislation Passes Congress

Arlington, VA
June 7, 2016

National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD) President Eric R. Byer issued the following statement today on the final passage by the U.S. Senate of H.R. 2576, the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act that resolves the differences between House and Senate versions of Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) reform legislation.

“As Congress sends the bipartisan TSCA reform package to President Obama for his signature, NACD applauds lawmakers in both the House and Senate for their commitment to making significant improvements to chemical management and modernizing the decades-old system regulating chemicals. We now strongly urge the President to sign the bill without delay.

“Forty years of operating under an outdated law and more than 10 years of attempts at reform have demonstrated that TSCA was in desperate need of improvement. We are pleased to see that lawmakers in both chambers worked across party lines to create a more cohesive federal system for regulating chemicals in the marketplace that gives consumers additional confidence regarding the safety of chemicals while also providing industry and regulators alike with greater regulatory certainty.

“NACD thanks Senate and House leadership and especially Senators Inhofe, Udall, Vitter, Markey, Merkley, Booker, and Whitehouse, along with Congressmen Upton, Pallone, and Shimkus for fostering the bipartisan support necessary to get the final bill across the finish line.” 

According to the American Chemistry Council, the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act improves and strengthens TSCA by:

• Subjecting all new and existing chemicals to an EPA safety review
• Requiring EPA to focus on chemicals that are the highest priorities for full risk-based safety assessments
• Strengthening transparency and the quality of science used to make EPA decisions
• Expanding EPA’s ability to require additional health and safety testing of chemicals
• Allowing industry to request that EPA conduct a safety assessment on a specific chemical
• Providing EPA with a full range of options to address the risks of substances including labeling requirements, use restrictions, phase-outs or other appropriate actions
• Setting aggressive and attainable timelines for EPA to complete its work
• Promoting cooperation between state and federal regulators while creating a strong national chemical regulatory system, ensuring interstate commerce is not disadvantaged
• Strengthening protections for the most vulnerable like infants, children and the elderly
• Protecting Confidential Business Information (CBI)

For more information on the legislation, vist https://www.americanchemistry.com/TSCA/