"Trump Can Fund Chemical Safety Review while Cutting EPA Budget," By Angela Logomasini. Some observers express doubt that the Trump administration can cut the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) budget by 31 percent and still fund implementation of the newly reformed Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the law that governs the usage of new and existing chemicals found in consumer products from household cleaners to plastic toys. But a recently leaked EPA memo reveals there are plenty of … [Read more...]
TSCA Reform Casualties
September 20, 2016
"TSCA Reform Casualties Likely Start with Asbestos," By Angela Logomasini. With the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) reform passed into law, environmental activists are developing lists of chemicals they want banned in short order. Asbestos are near the top of the list, as easy targets. After all, it seems logical to get rid of such obvious carcinogens, but it isn’t that simple. In fact, some bans could actually undermine public health and safety. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency … [Read more...]
TSCA Reform’s Unintended Consequences to Come
July 12, 2016
"Policy Expert: TSCA Reform Will do Little to Protect Public Health," By Meagan Parrish. Much has been said about TSCA reform, and most of it has been positive. In fact, the process of creating and passing the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, which was recently signed into law by President Obama, brought together chemical industry representatives and environmentalists alike. But not everyone is convinced chemical law reform will protect public health. According to … [Read more...]
TSCA Unlikely Stop California Regs
July 12, 2016
"The Toxic Substances Control Act Amendments May Do Little to Relieve California Headaches for Businesses," By Morrison & Foerster LLP. Business groups largely supported the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Amendments―recently signed into law by President Obama—in order to address concerns about the emergence of varying state-by-state requirements that regulate the chemicals used in consumer products (see prior client alert). For businesses that wish to avail themselves of California’s … [Read more...]
TSCA Reform Paused
May 31, 2016
"One Enlightened Statesman: Sen. Rand Paul Pauses TSCA Bill," By Angela Logomasini, Ph.D. Three cheers to Senator Rand Paul for actually caring enough to read legislation before voting on its passage. Last week, he held up legislation that will vastly expand the Environmental Protection Agency’s power to regulate chemicals. As I pointed out recently, this legislation to amend the federal Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) has been moving along without proper consideration from most members of … [Read more...]
TSCA Consensus May Prove Toxic
April 25, 2016
"TSCA 'Reform': Consensus May Again Prove Toxic," By Angela Logomasini. According to a story in Bloomberg BNA, a final vote on legislation to reform the nation’s chemical law—the Toxic Substances Control Act—may be imminent. The story quotes Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), who explained at a congressional hearing the other day, “It looks like now we’re [the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee] just a matter of hopefully hours away of having an agreement with the House.” The … [Read more...]
Devil in the Details of TSCA Modernization
April 25, 2016
"The Devil, the Details, and 'Consensus' for 'TSCA Modernization,' Angela Logomasini. For some reason, there’s always near “consensus” when Congress passes environmental laws that later become controversial (for data, see my study from 2008 on this topic). There are probably two key reasons for this. First, no member wants to appear “anti-environmental” by voting against “green” legislation; and second, few members are paying much attention to the details. And that’s what appears to be … [Read more...]
Reality Check for the Chemical Industry
April 4, 2016
"Trust in Government: A Bad Strategy for the Chemical Industry," by Angela Logomasini, Ph.D. There is a reason why people laugh when you say: “Trust me, I come from the government.” Governments are not particularly trustworthy because bureaucracies are not particularly efficient, and when they are efficient, there’s sometimes more reason to fear than trust. Yet for the past several years, the chemical industry has been trusting the idea that giving more power to feds will save them from a … [Read more...]
Toxic TSCA Reform?
December 21, 2015
"TSCA 'Reform': It’s Old (39 years), But It Works! Why revise? By Gil Ross. Wending its way toward seemingly-inevitable final passage, a darling of the chemophobic left, “TSCA Revision,” will do no good for Americans, further empower the hyper-regulatory EPA, and be hugely expensive. The good old Toxic Substances Control Act was working fine. After years and years of debate spurred by the enviro-left, the Toxic Substances Control Act (affectionately, TSCA) of 1976 is on the verge of “reform.” … [Read more...]
Questionable Reasons for TSCA Reform
October 19, 2015
"The Many Bad Reasons to Support TSCA "Reform," By Angela Logomasini. With reform to nation’s chemical law—the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)—basically around the corner, groups from both left and right are commenting on why we need reform and for some, why the current proposals should pass quickly. But the reasons they offer aren’t are very compelling. The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) exclaims in a press release: Read more. … [Read more...]
TSCA “Reform” on the Way
October 19, 2015
"'Reforming' the Toxic Substances Control Act," By Angela Logomasini. As early as this week, the Senate is slated to take up a bill to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act. Supposedly, the proposal has enough bipartisan support to sustain a filibuster. So are the proposed changes to TSCA good or bad for consumers? There are plenty of reasons to be skeptical. As I have explained numerous times, the current TSCA has what is probably the best standard for evaluating environmental risks that the … [Read more...]
Kudos to McClintock
June 25, 2015
"Kudos to Rep. Tom McClintock for His Principled Stand," by Angela Logomasini, Ph.D. Last night, the U.S. House of Representatives passed its version of TSCA reform (H.R. 2576) by a roll call vote of 398 in favor, one opposed, and 34 members not voting. Yesterday, I lamented the fact that this bill was pushed through under suspension of the rules, which is supposed to be for low-cost, non-controversial bills, which is something that TSCA reform certainly is not. In any case, the issue is very … [Read more...]
TSCA Bill Reaches House Floor
June 23, 2015
"Suspending Reason to Pass 'TSCA Reform'" by Angela Logomasini The process of lawmaking is often compared to sausage making: an unpalatable job that produces a palatable result. It’s easy to agree with the first part of that analogy, but in politics, the result isn’t always pleasant. Today, U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to “suspend the rules” and pass its version of reform to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). This cursory approach is another example of the suspension of … [Read more...]
The Politics of Regrettable Substitutions
May 11, 2015
"How Does the Government Decide What Is — and What Is Not — ‘Toxic’?" By Henry I Miller, M.D., MS and Angela Logomasini, Ph.D. An increasingly frequent and worrisome phenomenon that unnecessarily threatens human health and the natural environment is “regrettable substitutions,” which refers to bans or limitations on certain products, even though the alternatives might pose risks that are uncertain or greater. It calls to mind the old saying “out of the frying pan and into the fire.” Today, … [Read more...]
No Safety Reason for TSCA Reform
April 3, 2015
"TSCA Reform Debate Is Not about Public Safety," by Angela Logomasini. At recent hearings on the the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (S. 697), senators, environmental activists, and local government officials claimed that the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) law is not sufficient protect public health. As I have argued before, that’s certainly not the case.There may be an economic reason to reform this law—to preempt a growing patchwork of nonsensical state-level … [Read more...]
Do We Need TSCA Reform Reform?
August 5, 2013
"Is TSCA Reform Reform Necessary?, by American Council on Science and Health. No, that’s not a typo. With “reform” of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) almost a reality, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, has decided that the revised law was itself in need of revision, threatening its very existence. Here’s the backstory: for what seems like decades, environmental activists have been calling for “reform” of the 1976 chemical safety bill, … [Read more...]
TSCA “Reform” Advocates Hollow Logic
April 22, 2013
"It’s Time to 'Reform TSCA,'Again: N.Y.Times," By American Council on Science and Health. According to the latest New York Times editorial, the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act must be “reformed,” since it’s “toothless.” How did the expert scientists writing the Times‘ editorial know how ineffective TSCA was? Well, here’s their irrefutable logic: “The failure of the law can be read in these dismal statistics: since 1976, [out of 85,000 chemicals], the EPA has issued regulations to control … [Read more...]
Misguided Ideas Behind “TSCA Reform”
April 12, 2013
"TSCA 'reform': Looking for Toxics in all the Wrong Places," by American Council on Science and Health. It’s that time of year, the season when “reform” of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) rises from the ashes, and stroller brigades and anti-technology “environmental” groups remind us that without a new chemical law, the sky will fall — again. The main proponent of this annual silliness is the 88-year old senior (literally) Senator from New Jersey, Democrat Frank Lautenberg. Each year … [Read more...]
Impact of Chemical Regultion on Animal Testing
February 11, 2013
"TSCA Reform: Reasonable Certainty of Harm to Animals," By Angela Logomasini. European animal rights activists made a big mistake in 2006 when they failed to fight passage in the European Union of REACH, which is short for Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization of Chemicals. Now that the U.S. Congress may soon consider a similar law, will American animal rights groups fight it or repeat the mistakes of their European counterparts? Read the full story on OpenMarket.org. … [Read more...]
Crushing Chemical Regulation
December 14, 2012
"Wheels In Motion To Crush Chemical Innovation," by Angela Logomasini. Chemical industry groups say they want to “modernize” the nation’s chemical law by applying reasonable reforms that would prevent states from passing a patchwork of conflicting state chemical laws. But industry groups should be careful of what they wish for. In fact, regulatory trends are clearly moving in a dangerous direction, one that threatens to undermine innovation, reduce profits for chemical companies, raise prices, … [Read more...]
Gridlock and TSCA
December 6, 2012
"When Gridlock Is Good," by Angela Logomasini The chemical Bisphenol A (BPA)–which is used to make hard clear plastics and resins that line food containers–regularly appears in news headlines claiming the substance causes everything from heart disease to obesity. But a new study on the topic shows that much of this “research” is little more than junk science. Read the full article on OpenMarket.org. … [Read more...]
Greens Ready to Regulate — As Always
November 9, 2012
"Environmental Working Group at it Again," by American Council on Science and Health. The Environmental Working Group is wasting no time in trying to influence policy now that the election is over. The group issued a statement Wednesday saying it “look[s] forward to working with the administration to advocate more effective regulation of oil and shale gas drilling” and overhauling the federal Toxic Substances Control Act. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee passed the Safe … [Read more...]
“Safe” Chemicals Act
August 29, 2012
"Jessica Alba, Please Don't Be a Crony," by Hadley Heath. Jessica Alba - do they come any hotter? She's a beautiful woman, a mother of two, and a businesswoman. Self Magazine just made her their "Women Doing Good Honoree" and praised her lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill. Alba is standing up for safe homes, asking Congress to restrict the amount of certain chemicals that can be in household goods and products. So what's not to love? Well, the legislation that Alba supports, the "Safe … [Read more...]
Sen. Frank Lautenberg’s TSCA Reform Legislation
July 31, 2012
"Politics trumps science as Senators pass Safe Chemical Act — latest chemical 'reform,'" By Lana Spivak On an otherwise pleasant morning, ACSH staffers’ blood began to boil after reading the latest anti-chemical screed in the Huffington Post, which included such fear-mongering claims as this: “Ninety-nine percent of pregnant American women carry multiple manmade chemicals in their bodies, sharing that concoction through the umbilical cord.” The latest assault on chemicals preceded yesterday’s … [Read more...]
Changing the Debate on Chemicals
May 14, 2012
"Framing the Debate on Chemical Regulation," by Angela Logomasini Last week, CEI hosted a congressional briefing on chemical policy and regulation (the video of the event is forthcoming). A news story in Risk Policy Report covering the event proclaims: “Free- Free-Market Group Seeks To ‘Re-Frame’ Hill Debate Over Chemical Risk.” Indeed we do! Read the full story on CEI's OpenMarket.org … [Read more...]
Nation’s Chemical Law Not Broken
March 19, 2012
"Chemical law is not broken, doesn't need to be "fixed,'" by Angela Logomasini. Environmental activists and some industry groups seem to agree that the nation’s chemical law is broken. Their drumbeat calling for “modernization” of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), follows band leader Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J. who proposed “repairs” in the form of S. 846—the so-called “Safe Chemicals Act.” But as the beat grows louder—the underlying premises continue to be wrong ... read the full … [Read more...]
“Common Ground” on TSCA or EPA Threat?
March 16, 2012
"EPA's Toxic Negotiations," by Angela Logomasini. It’s pretty amazing when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can essentially use extortion as a negotiating tool, and industry casts it as a plea to find “common ground.” You can’t blame industry too much for trying to place the issue in a positive light when they basically have a gun to the head. Read the full story at OpenMarket.org … [Read more...]
