Christmas Wish on TSCA Granted to Inhofe, Vitter, Udall

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), chairman of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, along with Sens. David Vitter (R-La.) and Tom Udall (D-N.M.), got their Christmas wish granted early this year from the U.S. Senate in the passage of S.697, the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act by a voice vote. 

“I am pleased to finally say after years of negotiations, the Senate has passed the first major environmental law rewrite in decades,” Inhofe said.  “The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act updates a broken, nearly 40 year-old law to protect the health of American families, protect our environment, and provide regulatory certainty to American businesses.  This certainty will help future investment predicted to be responsible for over 700,000 new jobs along with $293 billion in permanent new domestic economic output by 2023, and the benefits don’t stop there. Senators Tom Udall and David Vitter have worked tirelessly with my committee to make this day happen for our country, and for countless local communities, environmental organizations, and stakeholders. I look forward to working with my friends in the House of Representatives to quickly get this historic achievement to the president's desk and signed into law.”

“This is an historic day on which we’ve come together to pass significant chemical safety legislation. As we honor the legacy of the late Senator Frank Lautenberg, we also move toward the future embracing these major, necessary reforms to our nation’s broken chemical safety law,” said Vitter. “Compromise by definition means that everyone will not get everything he wants, but over the years, Senator Tom Udall and I, along with EPW Chairman James Inhofe, our colleagues and numerous stakeholders, affected communities, and organizations, have written a comprehensive, effective, thoughtful, bipartisan bill. I look forward to continue working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in both the Senate and House of Representatives until the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act reaches the President’s desk.”

"This is an exciting day for the many thousands of Americans who have worked for chemical safety reform over the last four decades,” said Udall. “Passing the Lautenberg Chemical Safety Reform bill with overwhelming support this evening is a great milestone, and I thank the numerous other senators who have worked to make this day possible. This bill is the product of years of collaboration and positive input from lawmakers across the country, who understand that we need a national solution to our broken chemical safety law. It will ensure that Americans in New Mexico and all states have necessary protections from toxic chemicals. With thousands of chemicals in existence, and as many as 1,500 new chemicals coming on the market each year, 39 years is too long to go without protections for children and families. I look forward to working with members of the House on a final product that the president will sign, but tonight we made tremendous progress toward historic bipartisan environmental reform." 

 

Background:

On Oct. 6, Inhofe joined Sens. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and David Vitter (R-La.) along with industry leaders and environmental groups in a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol to highlight the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act.

On April 28, the Senate EPW Committee marked up S. 697, the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, up out of committee in a vote of 15 to 5 with bipartisan support. TSCA is a law that governs the use of chemicals in everyday products and has not been updated since 1976. 

On March 18, the Senate EPW Committee held a hearing, Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act.

On March 10, S. 697, the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act was introduced. 

 

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