Sen. Paul Blocks Senate Consideration of TSCA Reform
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is blocking floor action on H.R. 2576, the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, citing its pre-emption of state laws, federal overregulation, and the limited amount of time he has had to…
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read the 180-page bill. Sen. David Vitter and Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., followed up by criticizing Paul’s hold on the floor, saying the provisions of concern were very similar to those in the pre-conference Senate version of the legislation, passed in December (see 1512180021). Paul said he’d continue to object “until we have had time to look at the bill thoroughly.” The legislation would provide the Environmental Protection Agency with more tools to get testing information on chemical substances, clarifies the treatment of trade secrets submitted to EPA, and updates the collection of fees pursuant to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), among other things. Chemical associations have heralded the legislation for providing both consumer protection and fair regulation (see 1605250053). The American Chemistry Council also criticized Paul, characterizing his objection as bringing the bill “to a grinding halt," in a statement (here).