{"id":148,"date":"2009-09-29T21:10:27","date_gmt":"2009-09-30T01:10:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/nanotechnology\/?p=148"},"modified":"2024-02-12T11:00:47","modified_gmt":"2024-02-12T16:00:47","slug":"straight-from-the-horses-mouth-epa-antes-up-on-tsca-reform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/2009\/09\/29\/straight-from-the-horses-mouth-epa-antes-up-on-tsca-reform\/","title":{"rendered":"Straight from the Horse’s Mouth: EPA Antes Up on TSCA Reform"},"content":{"rendered":"

Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist.<\/em><\/p>\n

Today, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson unveiled the Obama Administration’s “Essential Principles for Reform of Chemicals Management Legislation<\/a>.” \u00a0The principles’ significance lies not so much in the words they contain, but rather in what they symbolize:\u00a0 A clear confirmation that this Administration understands that the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) needs fundamental reform and that it is ready and willing to engage in making it happen.<\/p>\n

There’s no shortage of principles and platforms for TSCA reform, of course.\u00a0 See my earlier post<\/a> comparing and contrasting the platform<\/a> of the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families<\/a><\/strong><\/em> coalition \u2013 of which EDF is a member \u2013 with the American Chemistry Council<\/a> (ACC) “principles for modernizing TSCA<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

So what does EPA’s entrance into the fray mean?\u00a0\u00a0 It is a real sea change to have the very agency charged with implementing TSCA be willing to say the law isn’t working, that it doesn’t provide EPA with the tools it need to do its job.<\/p>\n

Who would know better than EPA?<\/p>\n

For the first time EPA is publicly affirming it needs substantially greater authority\u00a0if it is to protect human health and the environment from dangerous chemicals.\u00a0 And the preamble to the principles makes clear that EPA stands ready to engage, to work for TSCA reform, and that such reform should happen “quickly.”\u00a0 That’s great news, and a major reversal from the last EPA’s view<\/a> that TSCA was working just fine as is.<\/p>\n

It’s also noteworthy that Ms. Jackson identified the principles as those of the Obama Administration, not just EPA.\u00a0 That reflects the fact that they went through a thorough interagency review process \u2013 and it also means they have the backing of the White House.<\/p>\n

I’m not going to attempt to dissect or parse in detail the new Administration principles here.\u00a0 I’ll only say they encompass most of the elements EDF and others have for years been arguing are essential to TSCA reform<\/a>, including:<\/p>\n