EPA Administrator Comments on TSCA Reform

EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson comments on the current TSCA reform effort for a Huffington Post article.

In 1976, Congress passed the Toxic Substances Control Act -- or TSCA -- to protect our health from the increasing number of chemicals in our products and our environment. In the four decades since its passage, many laws have changed to better protect our safety, yet TSCA has not.

Safe Chemicals Act Passes Committee

For the first time in thirty-six years, a Congressional committee voted to update the outdated chemical safety laws. Below is information on the hearing and a summary.

For more details on the Full and Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health joint hearing including majority and minority statements see the following information and links.

"Oversight of EPA Authorities and Actions to Control Exposures to Toxic Chemicals." Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Webcast of the proceeding

This is a major milestone to update a regulation which has not received a major overhaul since its inception. The goal is to "modernize" TSCA to increase the regulation's ability to protect people and the environment.

Lautenberg TSCA Reform Interview

Despite two hearings, several private stakeholders meetings and plenty of bluster, the effort to reform how chemicals are regulated remains largely where it was a year ago as Congress prepares to conclude its work for 2011. To be sure, Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) and his staff have worked tirelessly to attract industry and Republican support for his "Safe Chemicals Act" (S. 847), which would reform the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). But after a fiery recent hearing, industry appears hesitant to lend its support and it looks as if Lautenberg won't meet his goal of holding a markup on the bill before the end of the year.

Legislative Hearing on TSCA Reform

Full and Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health joint hearing entitled, "Legislative Hearing on the Safe Chemicals Act." 

   Thursday, November 17, 2011 10:00 AM
   EST EPW Hearing Room - 406 Dirksen

Safe Chemicals Act of 2011

TSCA reform is still continuing even as the IUR regulations are being evaluated. Below are links and information on the Safe Chemicals Act (SCA) introduced by Sen. Frank Lautenberg including highlights from Senator Lautenberg's website.

Highlights of the Safe Chemicals Act
• Provides EPA with sufficient information to judge a chemical’s safety.
• Prioritizes chemicals based on risk.
• Takes fast action to address highest risk chemicals.
• Ensures safety threshold is met for all chemicals on the market.
• Creates open access to reliable chemical information.
• Promotes innovation and development of green chemistry.