Bill Text: MI HR0074 | 2009-2010 | 95th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: A resolution to memorialize Congress to rewrite the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 23-4)
Status: (Passed) 2009-04-30 - Adopted [HR0074 Detail]
Download: Michigan-2009-HR0074-Introduced.html
Reps. Warren, Smith, Meadows, Scripps, Roberts, Geiss, Segal, Ebli, Lipton, Lisa Brown, Bauer, Terry Brown, Constan, Dean, Durhal, Gonzales, Gregory, Rick Jones, Robert Jones, Lemmons, Miller, Opsommer, Rogers, Slavens, Valentine, Espinoza and Marleau offered the following resolution:
House Resolution No. 74.
A resolution to memorialize Congress to rewrite the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
Whereas, Global chemical production is expected to increase four-fold by the year 2050. The chemical industry in the United States currently produces or imports 42 billion pounds of chemical substances per day for use in industrial processes and commercial products. As an industrial center, chemical manufacturers and industrial users of chemicals are important contributors to Michigan's economy; and
Whereas, Many of these useful substances can be hazardous to human health or the environment in certain instances. A study conducted by the United States Centers for Disease Control regularly documents the presence of countless hazardous chemicals in the blood, tissues, and other body fluids of children and adults living in every corner of the United States. Workplace exposures to hazardous chemicals are known to cause chronic disease and shorten life expectancy. Minority, immigrant, and low-income populations are often at greater risk from hazardous chemical exposures because of where they work and live; and
Whereas, Congress enacted the Toxic Substances Control Act in 1976 to regulate chemicals with the intention of preventing new hazards and mitigating existing hazards. Critical analyses conducted by the National Academy of Sciences, U.S. General Accounting Office, U.S. Government Accountability Office, and other entities have found that the federal law has fallen short of its objectives to assess chemical hazards and control those of greatest concern. Critics conclude the federal law needs to be updated to make more effective use of market and regulatory forces that drive investment, research, and education in green chemistry. The update is also needed to keep pace with actions by individual states and members of the European Union that are driving global interest in green chemistry; and
Whereas, The United States has an opportunity to address longstanding weaknesses in federal law and modernize the regulatory approach to position the nation and Michigan to capitalize on green chemistry initiatives. Requirements to generate and disclose information used in hazard assessments should be strengthened. Hazard assessments should identify chemicals that may be safer substitutes for other chemicals and identify chemicals with the greatest potential or actual risks to public health, particularly vulnerable populations, and the environment. Mechanisms to motivate investment in industrial and commercial application of green chemistry, including technology development and transfer, education, and technical assistance, should also be included in a rewrite of the federal law; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we memorialize Congress to rewrite the Toxic Substances Control Act; and be it further
Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation.
