OREANDA-NEWS. May 18, 2015. After many years, officials in Washington are starting to move on critical legislation to modernize the nation’s chemical regulations. I have asked Neil Chapman, president of ExxonMobil Chemical, to give an update on the state of those efforts.  

One problem with many regulations and laws is they become increasingly outdated as time passes. Trapped in the era or politics of the moment they were enacted, they often fail to keep up with the changes of dynamic markets or the evolutions brought by new technologies.

Such is the case on everything from the Renewable Fuel Standard – which made assumptions about current gasoline consumption that never materialized – to the restrictions on natural gas exports that date back to the Great Depression.

It’s also the case when it comes to chemicals, governed by the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) President Ford signed into law almost 40 years ago. Science and technology have advanced considerably since then, as anyone using a laptop computer or benefitting from medical advancements like a CAT scan can attest. Yet U.S. federal law on chemicals remains set in stone carved in 1976.

Fortunately, this increasingly antiquated law looks to be in line for an upgrade. After several years of bipartisan work and negotiation in Washington, much of it led by the American Chemistry Council and the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, Congress appears on the verge of passing a comprehensive overhaul that brings chemical regulation into the 21st century.

Earlier today a subcommittee of the House Energy & Commerce committee unanimously approved a bill to modernize TSCA so that it accounts for the vast changes in the chemical industry since Congress last acted.

Similar to a TSCA reform bill currently working its way through the Senate, the House legislation aims to bring some rationality to a regulatory landscape that, over time, has become overgrown with a patchwork of state and local laws that have appeared in the absence of any meaningful action from Washington. Taken all together, these are often confusing and contradictory. TSCA modernization should clear away that clutter while still giving states the opportunity for input.

The appeal of this legislation is it establishes a science-based, risk-based approach to chemical regulation that keeps up with the industry’s advancements. And it gives the Environmental Protection Agency the tools and the flexibility it needs to make safe-use determinations for high-priority chemicals.

This legislation is so critical because the products of modern chemistry are so integral to people’s lives. Chemical products are found in 96 percent of manufactured goods – from life-saving medical devices to food packaging and storage to building materials and numerous other products. Chemicals are vital to making the world safer and healthier while helping minimize mankind’s impact on the environment.

Modernized chemical industry regulation will not just offer strict government oversight and protect public health, it will give the public confidence that the chemical products in use are safe. And it will help preserve America’s role as the world’s leading innovator for chemical products that drive the energy, health, housing, technology, and other sectors.

The products of America’s chemical industry will be instrumental to helping meet our shared energy and environmental aspirations as the 21st century continues to take shape. It only makes sense that we should have a law governing the chemical industry that matches those ambitions.