The American Chemistry Council (ACC) recently announced its support for Senators Chris Coons’ (D-DE) and Susan Collins’ (R-ME) “Sustainable Chemistry Research and Development Act of 2018,” S. 3296. The act would direct the president to establish an interagency sustainable chemistry entity to promote and coordinate federal sustainable chemistry research, development, demonstration, technology transfer, commercialization, education, and training activities.

“ACC welcomes the introduction of the Sustainable Chemistry Research and Development Act,” said Cal Dooley, president and CEO. “It is critical for government and industry to work together to accelerate innovations in chemistry that will help solve critical sustainability challenges while protecting the U.S. business of chemistry’s global competitive advantage.”

S. 3296 would create a federal interagency workgroup to assess the state of sustainable chemistry in the U.S. and develop and implement a strategy to advance sustainable chemistry products and processes. The interagency workgroup will be responsible for consulting and coordinating with key stakeholders, including the business and scientific communities. The bill also reportedly expresses support for merit-based competitive grants, loans and loan guarantees for sustainable chemistry research. Importantly, the legislation does not include any regulatory components nor does it authorize any spending.

For more information, visit www.americanchemistry.com.