TSCA Change and Security

I was reading an article over at APP.com about the new Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) bill (S 3209) being introduced by Sen. Lautenberg (D, NJ). While TSCA is not really a security issue, I have a certain amount of personal interest in chemical safety, so this does get my attention. I was struck by some of the closing comments in the article that addressed security issues:

“While the Lautenberg bill incorporates some industry proposals, such as prioritizing chemicals based on the risks they pose, the measure could stifle business innovation and sow confusion by allowing states to write their own chemical security laws, the group [American Chemistry Council] said in a statement.

“New Jersey's chemical security law is considered stronger than the federal statute. The industry has long opposed state laws, saying it prefers to deal with a uniform set of standards written by the federal government.”

Now Sen. Lautenberg has been a strong proponent of tighter security at chemical facilities and was responsible for much of New Jersey’s tighter regulation scheme while he was that state’s Governor. Additionally, he has pushed for limiting the Federal rule’s ability to supersede State regulations on a variety of chemical issues. Still, I’m not sure how this bill might affect chemical security issues, but the Government Printing Office (GPO) has not yet published the actual language of the bill. Once it does, I will certainly look at the details and report on anything that might impact security issues.