The Value of Knowing and Caring about What’s Actually in Legislation

It looks as though the Senate is likely to vote on TSCA reform this week and the propaganda machine is in full swing. Yesterday, I took a call from New York Times columnist Joe Nocera, thinking he was writing about the legislation and what the issues were. I didn’t realize he was actually writing a column about us, instigated, as he admits, by his “old friend” at the Environmental Defense Fund’s affiliate. The column is flat wrong, but it also provides an opportunity to talk about where we are and what’s at stake.

With rumors swirling that the Senate could call a vote very soon on S.697, the Vitter-Udall chemical bill, four governors are raising fresh concerns about the bill, even as they encourage Congress to pass reform.

The Senate bill would preempt states earlier, creating a regulatory “void,” in which neither federal or state governments can restrict chemicals.

Last week, members of the Safer Chemicals Healthy Families coalition celebrated the more activist origins of Mothers Day by telling members of Congress that the best gift for moms (and the people who love them) would be to protect our families from toxic chemicals.

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.

Yesterday the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held a hearing on S.697, the new legislation to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act sponsored by Senators Vitter and Udall…

Opponents of the Senate’s Vitter-Udall chemical legislation introduced this week point to numerous flaws in the bill. Perhaps the most contentiously debated part is something called “preemption”…

The new Vitter-Udall legislation isn’t just “not good enough.” It’s not good.

Wednesday was a big day. For the first time this year, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee discussed what it will take to pass strong laws on toxic chemicals. So, why was this Congressional hearing such a big deal?

In May, Senator Vitter and the late Senator Lautenberg introduced a bi-partisan bill to reform our federal law on toxic chemicals. The bill as drafted, has serious flaws, but provided a rare political breakthrough against deep partisan gridlock. Today’s hearing was the first discussion on a path forward since the compromise bill was introduced.