On March 12, 2014 the news provider Environment & Energy Publishing (E&E) aired an interview with Michael Belliveau, senior advisor at Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, a coalition of groups promoting safer chemicals and director at the Environmental Health Strategy Center on the latest U.S. House Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) reform proposal (previously reported on by the FPF). Michael Belliveau’s testimony was heard by the House of Representatives’ Energy and Commerce Committee’s Environment and Economy subpanel on March 12, 2014. In the interview with E&E, he argues that the proposal cannot seriously be considered a reform proposal and calls it the “most brazen power grab by the chemical industry” in 35 years. He contends that under the proposal, standards that prevented the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from banning asbestos would be maintained, while other, better working parts of the current law would be rolled back. Further, the law would limit state legislation, which has so far taken a lead in chemical safety policy. Even though Belliveau believes that the current proposal cannot be made to work, he considers that there is hope for reforming TSCA, as the effort builds on a wide public and political consensus. He suggests that the House Energy and Commerce Committee should develop a health-based chemical safety standard from scratch and advises that a new proposal should maintain the balance between federal and state authorities.
Read more
Monica Trauzzi (March 12, 2013). “Chemicals: Environmental Health Strategy’s Belliveau discusses latest House TSCA reform draft.”
U. S. House of Representatives (March 12, 2013). “Testimony of Michael Belliveau.” (pdf)
