Senator David Vitter (R-LA) announced today that he and Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) are the lead co-sponsors on a bill to reauthorize and amend the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The bill, entitled the Chemical Safety Improvement Act (CSIA), is co-sponsored by the following Senators:
| Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) | Mike Crapo (R-ID) |
| Dick Durbin (D-IL) | Lamar Alexander (R-TN) |
| Charles Schumer (D-NY) | James Inhofe (R-OK) |
| Tom Udall (D-NM) | Susan Collins (R-ME) |
| Joe Manchin (D-WV) | Marco Rubio (R-FL) |
| Mary Landrieu (D-LA) | John Boozman (R-AR) |
| Robert Menendez (D-NJ) | John Hoeven (R-ND) |
According to the briefing, the proposed revisions to TSCA in the CSIA align with five key principals:
- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must make science-based decisions based on the weight of evidence.
- There must be a workable and streamlined prioritization of chemicals for safety evaluations.
- EPA final decisions will preempt action by state or local governments on the chemical substance.
- Confidential business information will be protected with upfront substantiation.
- There must be transparency in all EPA decision-making.
A copy of the bill is available online. We will prepare a more detailed analysis shortly.