CSPA Angles For TSCA Modernization

The Consumer Specialty Products Association (CSPA) testified before the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works and the Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health. The joint legislative hearing is regarding Sen. Frank Lautenberg’s (D-NJ) Safe Chemicals Act (S. 847) that would modernize the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976.

“We appreciate the leadership of the Committee for holding this important hearing on the modernization of TSCA,” said Chris Cathcart, CSPA president and CEO. “We thank Senators Lautenberg and Inhofe for hosting a series of stakeholder meetings this year that have served to motivate and expand the dialogue on whether and how TSCA should be changed.”

CSPA represents companies that produce popular consumer products and who are committed to manufacturing and marketing safe, innovative and sustainable products that provide essential benefits to consumers while protecting human health and the environment. CSPA member companies are committed to the process of engaging in dialogue to work through and narrow differences on areas of TSCA reform, particularly those that most impact downstream product manufacturers.

Cathcart emphasized: “Several key factors motivate CSPA and its member companies to support an updated TSCA statute, including:

* Enhancing consumer confidence in the safety of chemicals in commerce used to formulate popular products,
* The need for consistent regulation of commerce in all 50 states; and
* Advocating global leadership for a risk-based approach to chemical management.”

CSPA organized a Chemical Management Policy Team composed of member companies that has been working for more than three years to review key program issues to, first, understand their impacts on the industry, and, second, to develop recommendations on how TSCA might be modernized to better address critical concerns in these key areas.The Association continues to engage in stakeholder dialogue to seek balance in the process that will work for industry in practice and in principle—to protect innovation and confidential business information while ensuring consumer confidence in chemical safety as it relates to public health and the environment.

CSPA will continue to raise concerns about elements of the bill and cautions that a regulatory approach needs to be based on sound science and must be practical, objective and predictable in its approach to chemical review and assessment.CSPA and its member companies are committed to continuing to work with all interested parties to help Congress find the right approach for updating TSCA.

“We will continue to work through details on challenging areas of TSCA modernization that most impact the downstream formulators,” Cathcart said.“We have made significant progress in discussions with Safer Chemicals Healthy Families coalition and the Environmental Defense Fund on key TSCA issues related to protecting confidential business information and chemical exposure and use reporting and we look forward to our ongoing discussions to find areas where we can agree and make progress,” Cathcart concluded.

Recognizing that TSCA legislation can only be enacted with bi-partisan support, CSPA will continue to work with allied industry groups to help provide recommendations and ensure details of these and other issues are addressed in order to reach consensus on a modern chemical regulatory framework that considers the entire value chain.