California Chemicals Legislation Afoot

The California Senate will consider at least three chemical policy bills in 2007, a state legislative aide told reporters on Dec. 12.

California Sen. Joe Simitian (D), chairman of the state Senate Environmental Quality Committee, plans to introduce the bills by Feb. 15, 2007, said Bruce Jennings, senior consultant to the panel. Jennings spoke to reporters after giving a presentation to a conference on characterizing chemicals in commerce. That conference, being held in Austin, Texas, Dec. 12–14, is sponsored by EPA and the Northeast Waste Management Officials' Association.

One of Simitian's bills would help downstream users of substances, notably companies, obtain chemical information about the materials they purchase, Jennings said. In part, this would help California manufacturers who export goods containing chemicals to comply with the European Union's new legislation on the registration, evaluation, and authorization of chemicals (REACH).

Another Simitian measure would create a clearinghouse for databases on chemicals, Jennings said. This would allow users to link to a variety of sources for toxicity and other information about chemicals. It would include chemical databases in Canada and the EU as well as in the U.S., he added.

A third bill would establish a broad new chemicals policy in California, but Jennings declined to elaborate on any specifics.

However, Jennings told the conference that California officials are weary of dealing with "the chemical problem du jour" and want a more comprehensive approach to managing commercial substances.

Jennings also said California lawmakers are seeking partners in other states who are willing to make similar legislative changes to chemical policies. "California doesn't want to do this on its own," he said.