Groups push for Senate vote on chemical safety

Environment, health and consumer groups are pushing Senate leaders to hold a vote on bipartisan legislation that would reform chemical safety laws.

The Frank Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21^st Century Act, S.697, which passed the Environment and Public Works Committee in June, has 51 co-sponsors ­— 22 are Democrats and 29 Republicans. The legislation, introduced by Sens. David Vitter (R-La.) and Tom Udall (D-N.M.), would reform the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

{mosads}On a conference call with reporters Wednesday, Fred Krupp, executive director of the Environment Defense Action Fund, said TSCA hasn’t worked since President Gerald Ford signed it into law on Oct. 12, 1976.

“The Senate needs to act and get this bill on the floor,” he said. “We’ve got an opportunity here for a historic win and it’s time to make chemical safety for our kids a priority.”

Leaders from March of Dimes, the National Wildlife Federation, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and The Humane Society of the United States joined Krupp in calling for action.

“We have joined together to fix things like car seats, second-hand smoke, lead in gasoline and lead in paint,” Dominique Browning, co-founder and senior director of the Moms Clean Air Force, said Wednesday. “We now have over half the Senate involved as co-sponsors. It’s really time for us to move.”

Udall’s Spokeswoman Jennifer Talhelm said the bill is ready to go.

“We expect it to pass by a wide margin,” she told The Hill on Wednesday afternoon. “Leadership is working on the schedule.”

In early August, before lawmakers left Washington for summer recess, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell  (R-Ky.) said the Lautenberg bill could come up for a vote in the fall.

“The TSCA legislation is another example of something important that enjoys bipartisan support,” he said. “I’m going to continue to look for things that make a difference for this country, that can clear the Senate, a body that requires 60 votes to do most things.”

Sen. Barbra Boxer (D-Calif.), who introduced her own TSCA legislation, said the Senate should either fix the Lautenberg bill or take up the TSCA Modernization Act that passed the House by a 398-1 vote in June.

“The most important thing is that we get some improvements on it,” she said. “That’s what I’m working on.”

Boxer has criticized the bill for failing to ban asbestos specifically and for only directing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to assess 25 chemicals.

Wayne Pacelle, president of The Humane Society, praised the Lautenberg bill Wednesday for requiring EPA to exhaust all other methods before using animals to test chemicals.  

“There’s really a revolution that’s afoot in terms of more efficient, more reliable testing methods and those notions are built into S.697,” he said.