Responses Vary to TSCA Vote
Well, that came out of nowhere. This week, without much warning, the Senate passed legislation to update TSCA, the Toxic Substances Control Act. The House of Representatives passed a different bill in June—and until the vote, the language of the new legislation wasn’t made public. Talk about smoke and mirrors! Now the two bills will need to be reconciled in committee before anything becomes law. So how does the new legislation break down?
#TSCA Chemical Reform Passes the House
Bittersweet victory: Last week, the House broke a four-decade legacy of inaction by voting to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act through H.R. 2576 the “TSCA Modernization Act.” The chemical reform bill was sponsored by Representatives Shimkus, Upton, Pallone and Tonko. Chemical reform means the EPA will be able to better regulate the 85,000 chemicals used in commerce–of which only five have been restricted up until this point. So that’s the good news.
Chemicals, By The Numbers
The shocking information in this post, part of an infographic-driven “by the numbers” series that I’m doing this month, is why I started Mommy Greenest in the first place. I remember being pregnant with my third child and learning exactly how many toxic chemicals my kids were being exposed to—and that none of them had ever been tested for child safety. How could that be possible? Well, take a look at the numbers. Is it time for an overhaul of our nation’s toxic chemical regulatory policies? I think so. How about you?
