Keith McCoy, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) vice president for energy and resources policy, issued the following statement July 23 regarding the introduction of H.R. 5820, the Toxic Chemicals Safety Act by Representatives Henry Waxman (D-California) and Bobby Rush (D-Illinois):
“Manufacturers are concerned with the direction taken in the Toxic Chemicals Safety Act. In its current form, the bill hurts manufacturers’ ability to innovate and remain competitive in a global marketplace. It dramatically expands the scope of the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority over every sector of our nation’s economy, sets unrealistic standards and timeframes and puts unnecessary burdens on manufacturers with new and inconsistent statutory requirements.
“Manufacturers support a U.S. chemical regulatory and management system that is risk-based and uses the best science to ensure chemicals are safe for their intended use. We believe federal regulation should protect human health and the environment, promote innovation, restore public confidence, and avoid unnecessarily adverse economic impacts on small and large businesses. If enacted, this bill will create even more uncertainty for manufacturers and will hurt their ability to create jobs and grow our economy at a critical time in our nation. Manufacturers will continue to work with Congress to achieve meaningful reform of our chemical regulatory system which is not overbearing and cumbersome to manufacturers.”
The National Association of Manufacturers is the nation’s largest industrial trade association, representing manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing has a presence in every single congressional district providing good, high-paying jobs. For more information, visit www.nam.org.
