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ACC - American Chemistry Council
05/10/2012 | Press release
ACC is Committed to Chemical Regulation Policies That Promote Safety and Innovation
distributed by noodls on 05/10/2012 18:40
Contact: Scott Jensen (202) 249-6511
Email: Scott_Jensen@americanchemistry.com
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 10, 2012) The following statement can be attributed to the American Chemistry Council regarding the regulation of chemicals:
"ACC's advocacy work is conducted in an open and transparent manner and is grounded in scientific evidence. We are committed to responsibly engaging in public policy discussions so that regulatory decisions related to chemistry are made on a scientific basis to fully protect public health and the environment while encouraging American innovation and job growth.
"We strongly support efforts to modernize the chemical regulatory system governed by the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). We have provided extensive, specific input to lawmakers about how to modernize TSCA in an effective and workable way, and we are continuing to work with Democrats and Republicans in Congress to encourage bipartisan progress toward common sense, science-based reform. We believe industry should have the responsibility for providing sufficient information to EPA to make timely decisions about safety, and that when necessary, EPA should be authorized to request such information. We have worked with EPA on a mechanism to prioritize chemicals for safety assessments in a transparent, risk-based process, and will continue to work with EPA to find ways to collect additional data and information on existing chemicals while at the same time protecting the ability of American chemical manufacturers to innovate and compete in the global marketplace.
"In spite of the need to update TSCA, there is a widely held belief that that the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) program to evaluate new chemicals before they come to market works. Through the new chemicals program, EPA has full authority - and uses it - to collect information about new chemicals, demand additional information and testing, limit uses to manage potential risks and deny the application for manufacture if the agency cannot establish that the new product will not pose an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment. Once a new chemical is approved for use, EPA has ongoing authority to evaluate and assess possible risks presented by that substance and can restrict or limit its use.
"It is also important to note that TSCA is only one part of the U.S. chemical regulatory system that includes the oversight of six primary federal agencies and more than a dozen laws and regulations.
