TSCA reform

Toxic Chemicals (1)

As it happens, I saw three new papers about toxics regulation at about the same time recently.  Between the three, they give a clear picture about the U.S. stance on toxic chemicals.  I’ll discuss the papers in separate posts this week. The first paper, by David Markell of FSU, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).  …

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Reforming the Reforms: Building Safe Alternatives into Safety Standards

Chemical policy reform is heating up at the federal level. Senator Lautenberg has introduced a comprehensive reform bill in the Senate, and Congressmen Rush and Waxman are circulating a discussion draft bill in the House.  In their current form, both the Lautenberg bill and the Rush/Waxman discussion draft rely upon risk-based safety standards to protect against toxic …

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EPA Announces Action Plans for Four Existing Chemicals

EPA closed out 2009 by issuing “chemical action plans” for four chemicals: phthalates, long-chain perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in products, and short-chain chlorinated paraffins.  For each chemical, the action plan provides a summary of existing hazard, exposure, and use information, an outline the risks that the chemical may present, and a description …

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Jackson Comes Out Swinging on TSCA, But Pulls Some Critical Punches

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson delivered a one-two combination in chemical policy on Tuesday, announcing principles for legislative reform of TSCA while directing the agency to publicize administrative “enhancements” to the existing program.  At a speech in San Francisco, the Administrator presented the Obama Administration’s “Essential Principles for Reform of Chemicals Management Legislation,” a set of …

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Delivering on Reform?

It seems that TSCA reform is heating up for this and next year, but the form it will ultimately take is still quite hazy.  Senator Lautenberg and Representatives Waxman and Solis introduced the Kid Safe Chemical Act (KSCA) twice before, and the Senator is about to take a third swing at it very soon.  In …

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National Conversation Starts on Public Health and Chemical Exposure

The CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry recently kicked off their National Conversation on Public Health and Chemical Exposure with a day-long meeting on June 26, 2009 in Washington, DC.  The National Conversation is a stakeholder and public involvement initiative intended to develop an action agenda …

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TSCA Reform: Show Me The Money

It’s a new year so it must be time for renewed debates over the future of the federal Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).  In late February, the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection of the Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing specifically to revisit TSCA.  With chemical policy reforms occurring in Europe …

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