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Introduction

For those of you familiar with CHE, you are well aware that we do not take a stand on any specific legislation. Instead, CHE is a nonpartisan network dedicated to making emerging environmental health science available to a wide range of constituencies and offering civil forums for discussing that science and its implications for society. Many members of CHE, however, have expressed strong interest in learning more about specific legislation and policies currently under consideration. For this reason, the information below will allow people to quickly link to coalitions and organizations working on bills that are relevant to environmental health. We will also highlight conference calls that are open to the public regarding particular environmental health-related legislation.

Our initial focus will be on the “Safe Chemicals Act of 2010” which we know is of great interest to many colleagues in CHE. This legislation is intended to overhaul the outdated Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), and different versions of that bill were recently introduced in both the Senate and House. For those who would like to better understand the differences in the versions introduced and aspects of the bills that are still being debated, you can register to participate in a conference call hosted by the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to be held Wednesday, June 2 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time.

Please note that CHE does not endorse the views of any particular organization that we list nor the speakers on calls that we post. This new page is simply a resource for those concerned with how environmental health science is being translated into specific legislation. Along those lines, we invite you to contact usregarding upcoming conference calls that are open to the public on federal legislation related to environmental health concerns and/or organizations undertaking relevant work. CHE’s core advisory group will make final decisions on what is posted.

Calls and Events

July 25, 2012: The Environment and Public Works Committee in the US Senate voted today to advance the Safe Chemicals Act to the Senate Floor. This is the first Congressional vote on reforming the Toxic Substances Control Act since it was passed in 1976. For more information, please see these sites:

• Webcast of the hearing (the hearing starts 15 minutes into the webcast file)
• Toxic Chemicals: U.S. Senate Defies Chemical Corporations: Passes Safe Chemicals Act Out of Committee from the Louisville Charter for Safer Chemicals

ELI Webinar Series: Key Issues for Reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act, beginning June 30, 2011. The Environmental Law Institute is providing these webinars during the summer and fall of 2011 that will provide a forum for focused dialogue among key players. Read more»

Confronting Toxics Webinar Series beginning January 26, 2011. Physicians for Social Responsibility launched this series with a summary by Richard Denison, PhD: “The State of TSCA Reform.”

Recap: Hearing on H.R. 5820, the “Toxic Chemicals Safety Act of 2010”
Thursday July 29, 2010

On July 22, 2010, Congressmen Bobby Rush (D-IL) and Henry Waxman (D-CA) introduced a groundbreaking bill to reform US chemicals policy. The "Toxic Chemicals Safety Act of 2010" (H.R.5820.IH) is intended to overhaul the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) which has failed to regulate chemicals in consumer products – even those that have known links to cancer, learning disabilities, asthma, reproductive disorders, and other serious health problems.

The following witnesses testified at the hearing:

• Steve Owens, assistant administrator in the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, Environmental Protection Agency
• Richard Denison, PhD, senior scientist at Environmental Defense Fund
• Calvin M. Dooley, president and chief executive officer of the American Chemistry Council
• Howard Williams, vice president of Construction Specialties, Inc.
• Mark Mitchell, MD, MPH, president of the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice
• Beth Bosley, Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates, Inc.
• Ken Cook, president of Environmental Working Group

Senate and House TSCA Reform Bills: What Do They Say? Where Are they Going?
Wednesday June 2, 2010 
from the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) 
Visit the call archive page

This webinar discussed two long-awaited bills to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act. Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Representatives Bobby Rush (D-IL) and Henry Waxman (D-CA) unveiled the Safe Chemical Act of 2010 earlier this spring. Despite earlier attempt to overhaul the way the country manages chemicals, this is the first time that both chemical industry lobbyists and public health advocates agree that we can't delay change any longer – the scientific evidence is too overwhelming; the public outcry too loud.

Legislation

updated October 26, 2012

The Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals Exposure Elimination Act of 2011 (from The Endocrine Disruption Exchange website)

Sen. Lautenberg Introduces "Safe Chemicals Act of 2011" (press release)

S.3209 Safe Chemicals Act of 2010: A bill to amend the Toxic Substances Control Act to ensure that risks from chemicals are adequately understood and managed, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Lautenberg, Frank R. [NJ] (introduced 4/15/2010) Cosponsors (None) 
Committees: Senate Environment and Public Works 
Latest Major Action: 4/15/2010 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Chairmen Rush, Waxman Release H.R. 5820, The Toxic Chemicals Safety Act. This July 22nd news release includes a description of and links to the House Bill and summary.

EPA Summary of the Toxic Substances Control Act

Environmental Health Legislation Database

US State-level Chemicals Policy Database developed by the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production

Analysis

New Solutions Special Issue. Through a collection of twelve articles, the issue brings together leading voices from academia, labor, environmental and public health organizations, and businesses to highlight the widely agreed-upon need for the development and use of safer chemicals in our modern society.

Chemicals Policy & Science Initiative reports and briefings. A series of publications from this initiative within the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production address several aspects of chemical policy. 

National Resources Defense Council video and fact sheets on 10 chemicals known to cause harm.

Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families articles and analysis, a cartoon spoofing the toxic chemicals lobby, and a "States in the Lead" area following activity at the state level.

TSCA reform legislation: Highlights and comparisons. This document provides a side-by-side comparison of provisions in the Senate bill and House discussion draft. June 5, 2010.

Side-by-sides of TSCA and reform proposals. This summary chart compares current TSCA to the proposed TSCA reform legislation (Senate bill and House discussion draft). June 5, 2010.

Analysis of POPs treaty implementing provisions in Senate and House TSCA reform bills. The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) has analyzed the Senate and House proposals in relation to the Stockholm treaty on POPs. May 18, 2010. Also see CIEL analyzes POPs provisions of twin chemical reform proposals in Congress for more context.

Reproductive Health Analysis of the Toxic Chemicals Safety Act (H.R. 5820) from the Reproductive Health Technologies Project.

Environmental Defense blog articles relating to TSCA. On this blog, science, health, and business experts at Environmental Defense Fund comment on chemical and nanotechnology issues of the day.

Environmental Working Group Legislation page with analysis of and commentary on this and other legislation

The Promise and Limits of the United States Toxic Substances Control Act from Lowell Center for Sustainable Production, October 10, 2003

Fixing the Law to Make Chemicals Safer from Environmental Defense Fund

Follow the States on Federal Safer Chemicals Reform, from Environmental Health Strategy Center

Environmental Council of the States (ECOS) Resolution

States join together to get rid the worst-of-the-worst chemicals

For Sen. Lautenberg, crusade to reform chemical regulations is personal

Other Links and Tools

Free access on the US Environmental Protection Agency website to chemicals listed on the consolidated Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Chemical Substances Inventory, new in March 2010. Information can be downloaded from EPA and Data.gov as a Microsoft Access file, CSV text file, data set or extraction tool.

US EPA Rulemaking Gateway: Toxic Substances. Rulemakings listed on this page are being developed under statutory authority granted to EPA by TSCA and other laws that apply to toxic susbstances.

CHE's Portal to Science. This searchable database of books, articles, databases, websites, videos and other resources lists hundreds of items, preselected here for those of most interest to lawmakers and other policymakers.