Persistent pollutant bill moves forward

The House Energy & Commerce Committee last week approved a bill to make the U.S. a full partner in three international treaties on chemicals. One pact is the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), the second is a regional treaty on POPs, and the third requires exporters to get prior informed consent from a developing country before shipping certain chemicals to that nation. The committee adopted H.R. 4591 after making three changes sought by Democrats concerning EPA regulation of industrial chemical POPs under the Toxic Substances Control Act. One modification would allow EPA to consider scientific data on POPs that were collected by treaty partners rather than having EPA gather this information anew. Another would require the agency to consider qualitative-not just quantitative-costs and benefits of regulating newly listed POPs. The third change would require EPA to decide whether to regulate a substance within a year after the U.S. government endorses the control of that chemical by either of the POPs treaties. The full House will not consider H.R. 4591 until after the House Agriculture Committee adopts a companion bill directing EPA to regulate, under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide & Rodenticide Act, POPs that are pesticides.