Toxic chemicals

October 14, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) issued the following statement in response to the release of a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) study that shows mercury control technologies at coal-fired power plants are achieving substantial emissions reductions at low costs.

Sen. Carper has carefully monitored mercury pollution issues as chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee’s Clean Air and Nuclear Safety Subcommittee, and he requested this GAO report to examine costs and reductions achieved by power plant mercury control technologies.

Sen. Carper said:    » read more »

October 9, 2009 -- Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-27) announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded Chautauqua County with a grant totaling $2,641,354. The funds are provided through HUD’s Lead Hazard Control Program.

“The same older housing stock that contributes to Chautauqua County’s character also adds to the risk factor for lead poisoning,” said Congressman Higgins. “This sizeable grant will support education and prevention to reduce this risk and keep our children and neighborhoods safe.”    » read more »

Senate Passage of Defense Bill Will Help Ensure Government Can Destroy Weapons by Congressionally Mandated Date of 2017

October 7, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet announced that they have joined the Senate in approving a bill that includes $154.4 million for weapons destruction at Pueblo Chemical Depot. The funding, which was included in the bipartisan Department of Defense Appropriations bill, will help the federal government stay on track to destroy the chemical weapons stored at the Pueblo Chemical Depot by the congressionally mandated date of 2017. The bill passed Tuesday evening by a vote of 93-7.    » read more »

October 01, 2009 -- Washington, DC – Senator Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., today announced that the Defense Department’s Inspector General will investigate the U.S. Army’s response to the 2003 exposure of hundreds of U.S. soldiers to the deadly chemical sodium dichromate in Iraq.    » read more »

Investigation requested by Bayh to examine handling of exposure of Indiana National Guard soldiers in Iraq

October 1, 2009 -- Washington -- At the request of Senator Evan Bayh, the Department of Defense Inspector General (IG) announced that it will initiate an investigation into the U.S. Army’s response to the exposure of hundreds of U.S. soldiers—including 142 members of the Indiana National Guard—to the deadly chemical sodium dichromate in Iraq.    » read more »

September 29, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) today lauded the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) release of new chemical safety principles as an important breakthrough for public health in America.

Lautenberg, a leader in the Senate on improving chemical safety, is preparing legislation that would put the burden on chemical companies to provide data to the EPA so that Americans can be assured the chemicals they are exposed to are safe.    » read more »

September 15, 2009 -- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it plans to issue new standards to better protect America’s waters from coal plant pollution. The announcement comes a day after environmental groups, including the Sierra Club, Environmental Integrity Project and Defenders of Wildlife, put the EPA on notice for the agency’s 26-year delay in updating coal pollution regulations.

Pollution from coal plants is becoming increasingly toxic as more pollutants are taken out of the air, only to then be transferred to coal ash and other coal waste discharges. These toxic discharges can contaminate drinking water and pose serious threats to fish and other wildlife.    » read more »

Schumer Urges Tonawanda, NY Coke Plant Ceo To Take Stronger Actions To Reduce Benzene Emissions That Are Threatening The Health And Safety Of Town Residents

June 22, 2009 -- Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer wrote to the owner and CEO of the Tonawanda Coke Corporation urging the firm to enact measures to reduce the release of harmful benzene emissions from the Tonawanda plant.    » read more »

6/17/2009 -- (Helena) – Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Montana Department of Health and Human Services (DPHHS) praise the decision by the Obama Administration to declare Libby a public health emergency.

“At last Washington D.C. is fully recognizing the plight of the communities of Libby and Troy,” said Governor Brian Schweitzer. “The designated funds will be used to make the communities healthier.”

The declaration, nearly ten years in the making, was announced this morning in Washington D.C. during a joint news conference with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), US Department of Health and Human Services and Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester.    » read more »

June 9, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health, released the following statements regarding a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO)

Biomonitoring involves assessing chemical levels in blood and tissue samples to study levels of human exposure to toxic chemicals in our workplaces, homes, and environment. showing that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should increase its ability to protect public health by expanding its assessment of toxic chemical exposures through the use of biomonitoring.    » read more »

State bill would ban use of Bisphenol A in baby bottles and other feeding devices

June 3, 2009 --
Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) commended the California State Senate for passing legislation this week to prohibit the use of Bisphenol A (BPA) in baby bottles, sippy cups and other feeding devices for children ages three and younger. Senator Feinstein today urged the California State Assembly to follow suit.    » read more »

State Agencies Will Collaborate on the Development of a Coordinated Strategy to Eradicate Childhood Exposure to Lead

June 2, 2009 -- New York Governor David A. Paterson today announced the creation of the Governor’s Task Force on the Prevention of Childhood Lead Poisoning to further the State’s efforts to eliminate childhood lead poisoning. The Task Force will bring together a variety of State agencies to make findings and recommendations for the development and implementation of a coordinated strategy to reduce childhood exposure to lead.    » read more »

Columbus-Based Company Will Refurbish Equipment, Reduce Toxic Electronic Waste

May 28, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today joined Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA) to launch the inaugural Employee Electronic Recycling Day in Washington, D.C. Redemtech, a Columbus-based company specializing in electronic waste recovery, was on site to collect and recycle materials that pose a significant threat to the environment.

“This remarkable event demonstrates how innovation in business can create green jobs in Ohio and address environmental threats that endanger public health,” Brown said.    » read more »

UCS cautions that other federal agencies could still corrupt process

May 21, 2009 -- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced significant changes to the way the government assesses toxic chemicals, greatly increasing transparency, accountability and efficiency to better protect the public. However, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) warns that the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) may still wield the authority to interfere in the agency's scientific analysis.    » read more »

May 22, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) applauded the Environmental Protection Agency's announcement yesterday that it would revamp the process by which it determines the toxicity of chemicals.

EPA's Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) assesses the impact on human health of exposure to chemical substances, to help keep people informed about risks to public health in the air, water, and soil.

"We depend on EPA to give the American people the information they need to avoid health risks from dangerous chemicals," said Whitehouse, who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee's Subcommittee on Oversight.    » read more »