May. 22 – US, REACH: SOCMA tells key Senate committee REACH would hamper U.S. innovation

May REACH be coming to America? Some information from Coatings World:

In testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works, the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association (SOCMA) urged lawmakers to “thoughtfully consider whether it is necessary or wise to adopt a monolithic new regulatory regime for chemical regulation like the European Union’s Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation.”

Though the committee has not yet proposed legislation to mandate a new chemical policy similar to REACH, many in Washington expect committee Chairman Barbara Boxer to do just that, with the hearing laying the groundwork for such a move.

Underscoring SOCMA’s concerns about a REACH-type regulatory scheme in the U.S., Jim DeLisi, president of Fanwood Chemical, Inc., a SOCMA member, testified that “an ‘American REACH’ would not only hamper innovation but would reverse the progress made over the course of many years by federal regulators and the chemical industry to appropriately manage risk.” He stated that “existing EPA regulations and voluntary initiatives are sufficient, and far more appropriate than REACH, to control possible hazards and still preserve the sustainability of America’s third largest manufacturing industry.”

Click on the link above for the full article.