Senate Concurrent Resolution 9 - Introduced SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 9 BY BOLKCOM A Concurrent Resolution urging the United States 1 Congress to modernize the Toxic Substances Control 2 Act of 1976. 3 WHEREAS, children and developing fetuses are 4 uniquely vulnerable to the health threats of toxic 5 chemicals and early-life chemical exposures have been 6 linked to chronic disease later in life; and 7 WHEREAS, a growing body of peer-reviewed scientific 8 evidence links exposure to toxic chemicals to many 9 diseases and health conditions that are rising in 10 incidence, including childhood cancers, prostate 11 cancer, breast cancer, learning and developmental 12 disabilities, infertility, and obesity; and 13 WHEREAS, the President’s Cancer Panel report 14 released in May 2010 stated “the true burden of 15 environmentally induced cancers has been grossly 16 underestimated” and advised the President “to use 17 the power of your office to remove the carcinogens 18 and other toxins from our food, water, and air that 19 needlessly increase health care costs, cripple 20 our nation’s productivity, and devastate American 21 lives”; and 22 WHEREAS, states bear an undue burden from 23 toxic chemicals, including health care costs and 24 environmental damages, disadvantaging businesses that 25 lack information on chemicals in their supply chain and 26 increasing demands for state regulation; and 27 WHEREAS, when the Toxic Substances Control Act 28 -1- LSB 2729XS (2) 84 tm/rj 1/ 4

S.C.R. 9 of 1976 (TSCA) was passed, about 62,000 chemicals 1 in commerce were grandfathered in without any 2 required testing for health and safety hazards or any 3 restrictions on usage; and 4 WHEREAS, in the 35 years since the TSCA was passed, 5 the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 6 has required chemical companies to test only about 200 7 of those chemicals for health hazards and has issued 8 partial restrictions on only five chemicals; and 9 WHEREAS, the TSCA has been widely recognized as 10 ineffective and obsolete due to legal and procedural 11 hurdles that prevent the EPA from taking quick and 12 effective regulatory action to protect the public 13 against well-known chemical threats; and 14 WHEREAS, the National Conference of State 15 Legislatures unanimously adopted a resolution on July 16 12, 2009, that articulated principles for TSCA reform 17 and called on Congress to act to update the law; and 18 WHEREAS, the TSCA is the only major federal 19 environmental statute that has never been updated or 20 reauthorized; and 21 WHEREAS, legislation to substantially reform the 22 TSCA was introduced during the 109th Congress in 2005, 23 the 110th Congress in 2008, and again in the 111th 24 Congress in 2010; NOW THEREFORE, 25 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, THE HOUSE OF 26 REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING, That the Iowa General 27 Assembly encourages the 112th Congress to enact 28 federal legislation to modernize the TSCA to strengthen 29 chemicals management through policy reforms; and 30 -2- LSB 2729XS (2) 84 tm/rj 2/ 4

S.C.R. 9 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the policy reforms 1 should require chemical manufacturers to prove 2 that all existing and new chemicals are not harmful 3 to human health, and provide essential health and 4 safety information on chemicals to inform the market, 5 consumers, and general public; and 6 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the policy reforms 7 should require immediate action to reduce or 8 eliminate the worst chemicals, including persistent, 9 bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals and other 10 priority toxics to which there is already widespread 11 exposure; and 12 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the policy reforms 13 should preserve the authority of state and tribal 14 governments to operate chemicals management programs 15 that are more protective than the federal programs; and 16 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the policy reforms 17 should establish health safety standards for chemicals 18 that rely on the best available science to protect 19 the most vulnerable among us, such as children and 20 developing fetuses; and 21 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the policy reforms 22 should reward innovation by fast tracking approval of 23 new, demonstratively safer chemicals, and invest in 24 green chemistry research and workforce development to 25 boost American business and spur jobs making safer 26 alternatives; and 27 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the policy reforms 28 should promote environmental justice by developing 29 action plans to reduce disproportionate exposure to 30 -3- LSB 2729XS (2) 84 tm/rj 3/ 4

S.C.R. 9 toxic chemicals in hot spot communities; and 1 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Chief Clerk of the 2 House and the Secretary of the Senate shall forward 3 copies of this resolution to all members of Iowa’s 4 Congressional delegation. 5 -4- LSB 2729XS (2) 84 tm/rj 4/ 4