Chemical Industry Undermines State Efforts To Protect Kids
While working to pass the Children's Safe Products Bill here in Washington, we've run into the same opposition lobbyists and arguments over and over again. It turns out Washington isn't alone. In many states, strong opposition led by the chemical industry will stop at nothing, including scare tactics and attempts to render state laws powerless, to defeat bills aimed at protecting citizens from toxic chemicals.
While working to pass the Children's Safe Products Bill here in Washington, we've run into the same opposition lobbyists and arguments over and over again. It turns out Washington isn't alone. In many states, strong opposition led by the chemical industry will stop at nothing, including scare tactics and attempts to render state laws powerless, to defeat bills aimed at protecting citizens from toxic chemicals.
A new blog from our coalition partner Safer States analyzes how the chemical and toy industries are pouring time and money around the country into opposing any sort of meaningful chemical policy reform. Here's an excerpt:
As different as these laws were, nearly every one shared something in common: loud and highly paid opposition from the chemical industry, an industry which is not willing to yield to public outcry and scientific evidence and move toward a safer life-cycle for products which we use every day.
The chemical industry is an incredibly influential force in the United States, and around the world. The loudest voice in the industry is its trade association, the American Chemistry Council (ACC). It represents over 150 of the largest chemical manufacturers in this country, including the $46 billion chlorine industry and the plastics industry which touches every part of our lives, provides $379 billion in annual shipments and employs 850,000 workers.
The methods that the chemical industry uses to overturn efforts to make a safer, healthier environment for our families fall into four categories which will be discussed here:
- Scare tactics and economic threats
- Out-of-state pushes against toxics reform
- Gutting state laws in favor of federal law, and
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High-priced lobbyists, powerful friends, backroom deals.
Read the rest of the eye-opening analysis at Safer States.
