SCJ’s Semrau Talks TSCA in Washington

“There is a clear consumer and business case for modernizing TSCA, a statute that has not been modified in more than a generation,” said Semrau. “Chemically-formulated products can be found under nearly every kitchen sink in America, and the chemical management of these products has evolved beyond current regulation.”

In Semrau’s testimony, she acknowledged that changes to TSCA must be driven by sound science, be risk-based, include realistic timelines for action—for both industry and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—and seek to achieve objectives in the least burdensome and most economically responsible manner possible.

Specifically, Semrau focused on four key areas of critical importance:

•Balancing Transparency: Transparency is imperative, but it has tobalance the desire to inform and empower consumers with the need toprotect legitimate confidential business information.

• Providing Adequate Use, Exposure, and Toxicity Information: Understanding and addressing data gaps and ensuring the EPA has timely, adequate information on chemical hazards, exposures and uses is a critical part of modernization. It means that companies like SC Johnson would agree to a new reporting responsibility, but Semrau stated this was necessary to properly inform the chemical safety evaluation process.

• Promoting Greener Chemistries: SC Johnson regularly invests in green chemistry, whether through its Greenlist process or the partnership with the EPA’s Design for the Environment (DfE) program. Green chemistry is an avenue for motivating the selection of better, safer raw materials and TSCA modernization should promote the transition to more sustainable alternatives.

• Ensuring Adequate Time to Respond to New Requirements: TSCA modernization needs to move ahead, but it is important to ensure that the chemical industry has sufficient time to transform itself and implement the technological and scientific tools needed to modernize TSCA.

“We believe it simply makes good business sense to bring TSCA into the 21st century, while still protecting and enhancing the spirit of innovation that lies at the heart of SC Johnson, the consumer products industry, and the U.S. economy,” Semrau concluded.