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Kristina Baum (EPW) – 202.224.6176
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Inhofe Joins Udall, Vitter, Industry in Call for TSCA Reform
WASHINGTON – On the 39th birthday of the broken Toxic Substances Chemical Act (TSCA), U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), chairman of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, joined Sens. David Vitter (R-La.) and Tom Udall (D-N.M.) with EPW members today at a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol to highlight the bipartisan Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act. The Senators were joined by industry and environmental groups calling for urgent action in the Senate to reform TSCA.
“The Lautenberg Act is not just a bill to protect health and the environment; it is a bill to create regulatory certainty for an industry making huge investments in the United States,” Inhofe said. “As of June this year, the chemical industry has announced over 200 new projects investing $145 billion in the United States. The resurgence is due to one thing – our abundant and reliable supply of American natural gas. This investment is predicted to be responsible for 700,000 new jobs and lower our trade deficit by $30 billion by 2030. Given our supply of natural gas is so large, the only thing that can stop this massive growth in investment is regulatory uncertainty. Passing TSCA would create one predictable national regulatory framework that is workable for industry and encourage continued investment and job creation.”
Industry groups with representatives in attendance were Anna J. Wildeman, policy counsel and committee executive on environment & agriculture for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Ross Eisenberg, vice president of energy and resources policy of the National Association of Manufacturers; Cal Dooley, president of American Chemical Council; Jennifer Thomas, senior director of federal government affairs for Auto Alliance; and Khary Cauthen, senior director of federal relations for American Petroleum Institute.
S. 697, the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act was introduced on March 10. The bill was marked up out of committee on April 28 in a bipartisan vote of 15 to 5. TSCA is a law that governs the use of chemicals in everyday products and has not been updated since 1976.
The Lautenberg Act has garnered the support of 150+ outside groups, which can be accessed by clicking here.
The following photos are available for use by the media and can be downloaded by clicking here.
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