Here’s a switch: New Obama-era regulations are going into effect, and the regulated industry seems pretty happy about it.
As Business Report details in a feature from its latest issue, former President Barack Obama signed the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act last summer, with both Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California and Republican Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana—a key sponsor—looking on approvingly.
The Lautenberg Act amends the Toxic Substance Control Act. It creates clear processes, authorities and timelines to give EPA, chemical manufacturers, retailers and the public more confidence in EPA decisions about chemical safety, says Edward Flynn, vice president for health, safety and security with the Louisiana Chemical Association.
Under the Lautenberg Act, widely used chemicals will undergo safety reviews, and the EPA will have to declare new chemicals safe before they hit the market.
The process has the potential to get bogged down in bureaucracy, but Flynn is hopeful it will work as Congress intended.
“Given the complexity and importance of making sure chemicals that are brought into commerce are deemed generally safe, that’s not something that can be rushed,” he says of the nascent legislation. “I want to see the process move forward as effectively and efficiently as possible, and I believe that’s the case.”
The original act’s chemical inventory didn’t distinguish between chemicals in use and those no longer produced, Flynn says. The new law requires EPA to focus on chemicals still being sold and used.
For existing chemicals deemed “high priority,” EPA is required to do a detailed risk evaluation based on factors like environmental exposure and risk to vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly. The agency might clear those chemicals for continued use, require additional safety measures—such as detailed labeling or handling instructions—or even issue an outright ban.
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