The American Chemistry Council (ACC) recently announced that Cal Dooley, president and CEO, has released the following statement in response to a hearing by the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy on the historical impact of the U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA):

“ACC welcomes the Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy’s hearing on the Toxic Substances Control Act. Today’s hearing is an important step to ensure members of Congress understand the important role that TSCA has played in the management of chemicals in commerce, and the need to modernize the law to better reflect today’s science and meet today’s needs. This is especially true given that historic, bipartisan legislation to reform TSCA, the Chemical Safety Improvement Act, is under consideration in the Senate.

“The bill introduced in the Senate by Senators Lautenberg and Vitter and co-sponsored by 19 others from both sides of the aisle is the first bipartisan TSCA reform legislation in history. It makes meaningful changes to the law, including requiring that all ‘grandfathered’ chemicals undergo evaluation for the first time; improving the law’s safety standard and emphasizing that chemicals should be safe for their intended use; making it much easier to require further testing and information about chemicals from manufacturers; and clarifying when federal law should take precedence over state or local rules while preserving an important, active role for state lawmakers and regulators. At the same time, the bill protects critical confidential business information; increases transparency so the public and Congress can have a better window into the regulatory process; and preserves a well-functioning and efficient system to bring new innovations to market in a timely way. The bill is a carefully crafted compromise based on input from industry and the environmental community that will make Americans feel safer, regulation smarter and our economy stronger.