States Call for Toxic Law Overhaul
Posted by Richard Denison Environmental Defense Fund Senior Scientist. This week, the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS) unanimously adopted a resolution calling on Congress to enact strong and comprehensive reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). ECOS is comprised of the heads of the environmental agencies in the U.S. states and territories. Its new resolution includes major elements of reform that CHEJ, EDF and the other health and environmental members of Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families have been calling for.
Reform elements in the ECOS resolution include: shifting the burden of proof of safety to the chemical industry; and providing EPA with authority to ensure the safety of all new and existing chemicals, and to take expedited action to control unsafe chemicals. These reform elements are also included in the Toxic Chemicals Safety Act of 2010 (H.R. 5820) – introduced by Congressmen Bobby Rush and co-sponsored by Representatives Kathy Castor, Diana DeGette, John Sarbanes, Jan Schakowsky and Henry Waxman – as well as in companion legislation in the Senate, the Safe Chemicals Act of 2010 (S. 3209), introduced by Senator Frank Lautenberg.
