Udall and Vitter celebrate advancement of Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act

U.S. Sens. Tom Udall (D-NM) and David Vitter (R-LA) applauded the advancement of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, which received a unanimous Senate voice vote and has 61 bipartisan co-sponsors.

“Senator Tom Udall and I, along with our Democrat and Republican colleagues and countless stakeholders, have spent years at the negotiating table to arrive at the best possible compromise to reform our nation’s outdated chemical legislation and allow our industries to remain innovative leaders,” Vitter said. “Our work is not yet done, however. I’m eager to continue the legislative process with our House colleagues early next year so that we can sign chemical safety reform into law.”

The bill reforms the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 (TSCA), which had not been reformed in decades. It is named after U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who pushed for TSCA reform for years before his death.

“As many as 1,500 new chemicals come on the market each year, but there is no cop on the beat making sure they're safe for consumers or our environment,” Udall said. “This bill will require the EPA to test all of them, make sure they’re safe and put the focus where it ought to be — on how these chemicals affect the most vulnerable in New Mexico and across the country.”