SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) – California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris joined 11 other state attorneys general in a letter to Congress asking it to limit any preemption of states’ authority to protect their residents and the environment from toxic chemicals.
The letter deals with bills advanced by the House and Senate to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 (TSCA). The attorneys general commended Congress members for taking action to improve the TSCA and helping it move closer to final passage.
The focus of the attorneys general, though, was to lay out seven principles regarding the complementary role that states must play with the federal government when it comes to chemicals regulation.
“California’s environmental standards lead the nation in protecting our residents from harmful chemicals and pollutants, and my office has fought diligently to enforce them,” Harris said. “As Congress moves closer to reforming the Toxic Substance Control Act, it is critical that states' ability to protect communities from toxic chemicals is not preempted.”
In submitting this letter to Congress, California was joined by Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.