Representative Pallone and Representative Lowey stand up for victims of deadly paint strippers.

Wednesday night, the House of Representatives passed its version of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) by a wide margin.

Quite frankly, the stories from Flint are hard to hear. It’s outrageous that families in Flint are charged some of the highest water bills in the nation for water that they can’t use. It’s unthinkable to most that the lead contamination crisis that began in Flint more than two years ago has not been “solved” by now. It’s unconscionable that Flint families are in the third year of being unable to turn on the faucet and get a drink of water.

As you may have seen, the Senate did not vote on TSCA reform yesterday after all. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky objected to the procedure for a quick vote (known as “unanimous consent”). Because the Senate is in recess through next week, the maneuver delays a vote until at least the week of June 6. […]

On Tuesday night a “final draft” of legislation to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) became quasi-public and a vote is expected in both houses of Congress next week.

As you may know, staff from both chambers of Congress have nearly completed work reconciling different versions of chemical safety reform legislation (TSCA reform) that passed last year. (H.R. 2576 and S. 697 respectively.) Reportedly, there is at least one major sticking point remaining: should states be blocked for up to 4 years from taking action against a toxic chemical while EPA studies the chemical?

All of the attention to the Flint tragedy should result first and foremost in justice and concrete aid for Flint, but it should also serve as a wake-up call that America has unfinished business with lead.

Today, more than 125 organizations sent a letter to House and Senate committee leaders spelling out in detail how the “best of both” TSCA bills emerging from the House and Senate could be combined. The groups said they would support a final bill that reflected the recommendations in the letter.

Last night Senators Merkley (D-OR), Whitehouse (D-RI), and Booker (D-NJ) announced they were joining Senators Udall and Vitter in a new version of the controversial Senate chemical reform bill.