The Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates (SOCMA), in a statement submitted today to a key U.S. Senate environmental panel, provided support for a bipartisan look at our nation’s chemical control law, but reiterated its opposition to the Safe Chemicals Act.
SOCMA’s statement was submitted to a jointly-held legislative hearing on the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) before the full Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, chaired by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and the Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics, and Environmental Health, chaired by Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ).
“There is broad stakeholder agreement that TSCA needs to be modernized, but the Safe Chemicals Act is not workable. It fails to adequately consider its impact on innovation or balance chemical safety with continued manufacturing in the U.S.” SOCMA president Lawrence D. Sloan said. “Ultimately the Safe Chemicals Act will have to consider how the costs and delays associated with increased data submission will impact U.S. jobs. Right now, there has been insufficient discussion about this important issue.”
Sloan added that the Environmental Protection Agency has a unique opportunity to exercise its existing authority and carry out the law as it was intended.
SOCMA is also disappointed that the committee continues to overlook the voice of the industry’s small and medium-sized chemical manufacturers by failing to invite this critical sector to testify. The highly innovative sector of specialty batch manufacturers could be particularly impacted if production of certain chemicals is shifted to developing countries. Furthermore, this legislation does not ensure that Americans will be any safer.
SOCMA appreciates the continued effort to keep this issue on the forefront, but remains concerned by widespread misinformation being a driver. In order for a bipartisan bill to advance, Congress should avoid dismantling the aspects of TSCA that have worked well.
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For more information on SOCMA, visit www.socma.com.
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