Yesterday the House Energy and Commerce Committee met to discuss reforming our out of date law on toxic chemicals, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
The second version of the Chemicals in Commerce Act discussion draft (our response can be found here) made some small progress towards protecting public health from toxic chemicals. The underlying framework however is still deeply flawed and would provide more concessions for the chemical industry rather than addressing how to reduce our exposure to harmful chemicals.
Our Director Andy Igrejas testified and underscored the need for reform to be credible to the public and advance public health.
He didn’t mince his words,
“So, Mr. Chairman, I think a different approach is needed. The bill is overly ambitious in its rollbacks… And the core idea of ensuring chemicals are safe is being lost.”
Today some of our parent advocates are in Washington D.C. for the Seventh Generation “Toxin Freedom Fighter” event. The time couldn’t be more important for parents to talk to Congress about this important issue. The message they will deliver will be one of urgency and that we must get reform done right.
We have a petition to Congress asking for them to come back with proposals that would bring us forward on chemical reform. We know the legislative process isn’t easy. Compromises must be made. This certainly isn’t our first rodeo.
That said, we must make sure we don’t make the same mistakes that were made in 1976, passing a phony bill that does little to protect public health. In fact, the current draft takes us backward by rolling back the few protections we do have under the current law.
We need your voice to make sure the conversation is redirected back to protecting public health.
By signing our petition you can join thousands in calling on Congress to bring forth moderate, yet real reform.
And be sure to share with your friends, our movement needs to grow!
For the nerds out there, you can read the new draft here.
- Our press release on the draft
- A letter sent from public health groups opposing the bill
- Andy’s full testimony