Press release from the Environmental Health Strategy Center: LePage Favors Toxic Policies
by MPBN Capitol Connection on Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 8:12am
PRESS STATEMENT Contact:
Will Childs (207) 951-7478;JANUARY 26, 2011
Gov. LePage Advances Chemical Industry Attack on Children’s Health
Public Health Response:
BPA (also known as bisphenol A) is a hormone-disrupting chemical widely used in plastics for baby bottles and sippy cups and in the linings of infant formula cans and baby food jar lids. Last year, the Maine Board of Environmental Protection declared BPA the first of two priority chemicals required by law to be listed by January 1, 2011. More than 200 independent peer-reviewed scientific studies link widespread BPA exposure in babies to increased risk of brain damage, reproductive harm, breast and prostate cancer and obesity. Nine states, Canada and other countries, and major product makers have taken action to prevent children’s exposure to BPA. There are no federal EPA or FDA standards because the governing U.S. law, the so-called Toxic Substances Control Act, has not been updated in 35 years.
The Maine BPA rule that the Governor and chemical manufacturers want to repeal does three things: (1) requires safer alternatives to BPA in all reusable food and beverage containers including baby bottles and sippy cups. (This restriction was provisionally adopted and will come before the Legislature for approval soon as a "major substantive rule"), (2) requires an assessment of the availability of safer, cost-effective alternatives to the use of BPA in the infant formula and baby food containers, and (3) requires reporting by manufacturers if BPA is added to child care articles, toys or tableware.
GOV. LEPAGE WANTS TO GUT LAWS ON TOXICS IN EVERYDAY PRODUCTS! The Governor Recommends: "Review all regulation of consumer products and consider revisions to prohibitions of chemicals and materials in products. If the state is going to regulate consumer products at all, it should only do so when clearly justified on risk-benefit or cost benefit basis."
Public Health Response:
The Maine Legislature and past Governors have approved a series of laws to protect public health from dangerous chemicals in consumer products over the last ten years. Common sense and strong science dictated that we replace mercury thermometers (2001) and arsenic-treated wood (2003) with safer alternatives. Toxic flame-retardants in couches (2004) and computers (2007) were phased out in favor of other materials that provide equal fire safety. Maine ended the use of lead in toys (2008). Following unanimous recommendations of the Governor’s Task Force on Safer Chemicals in Consumer Products that met for 18 months, the Maine Legislature passed the Kid Safe Products Act in 2008. The work of internationally acclaimed Maine scientists and many others supported these policies.
After a few short weeks in office Governor LePage wants to reverse the course of history ignoring science in favor of poisonous political pandering to out of state chemical industries. Rather than requiring the chemical industry to demonstrate the safety of its products he suggests placing onerous handcuffs on government action to protect Maine people. These same constraints were proposed by the chemical industry and rejected in a bipartisan consensus by the Legislature in 2008.
GOV. LEPAGE WANTS TO LET THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY REGULATE ITSELF!
Public Health Response:
Why should Maine race to the bottom to compete with Mississippi and others for the weakest minimally required federal standards? Federal requirements establish the floor, not the ceiling, for environmental health protections for clean air and safe drinking water.
For toxic chemicals in consumer products, there are virtually no federal standards. That’s because under the badly broken federal Toxic Substances Control Act, only some uses of 5 dangerous chemicals have been restricted in 35 years. Yet 62,000 chemicals were grandfathered in without any restrictions when TSCA passed in 1976. Conforming Maine standards for toxics in products to the federal requirements means no protections at all from most dangerous chemicals!
Ignores Science and Common-Sense Protections from Toxic Chemicals
This week Governor Paul LePage called for an end to dozens of protections for the health of Maine people and our air, water and land. Three of his thirty-six proposed rollbacks take direct aim at Maine’s law to protect children's health from unnecessary dangerous chemicals in everyday products.
We’re appalled that Governor LePage would take the extreme position that children's health should be sacrificed in order to satisfy out-of-state chemical companies desire to avoid regulation.
Maine’s Kid Safe Products Act was adopted in 2008 with overwhelming bipartisan support, passing in the Senate by a vote of 35-0 and in the House by 129-9, despite relentless opposition from the national chemical industry. This is because everyone in Maine wins when we prevent disease, encourage business innovation, and reduce health care costs by replacing the most dangerous chemicals in everyday products with safer alternatives.
Not one single Maine business testified in opposition to the proposed law in 2008 or to the designation of two priority chemicals under the law in 2010!
The three proposals that would roll back the Kid Safe Products Act are included in Phase I of the Governor’s Regulatory Reform Proposals that target the Department of Environmental Protection. Our response to his recommendations follows below.
GOV. LEPAGE WANTS TO BRING BACK TOXIC BABY BOTTLES AND SIPPY CUPS!
The Governor Recommends: "Repeal BPA rule and rely on federal EPA and FDA standards."
For Immediate Release:
And here we have the latest Factoid for the Kingdom of IF:
How much does it matter to the King that we have serious problems with our debt? Seemingly not at all. He would rather pander to the not so special interests of Business. Because as he said in his inaugural address, "profit is good"... And somewhere you can bet he is the one to profit from all this waste, deceit and anger, he has rained down upon the Kingdom.
Well, Big business does not want to change, Which means it will not be moving here too soon. Politics does not want to change, it just wants its money for nothing and the Cronies to be pleased.
So that just leaves us, the peasants, reading up on the Bastille. Be good, God bless.
Sincerely, Ms. Paula Page
Will Childs (207) 951-7478;JANUARY 26, 2011
Gov. LePage Advances Chemical Industry Attack on Children’s Health
Public Health Response:
BPA (also known as bisphenol A) is a hormone-disrupting chemical widely used in plastics for baby bottles and sippy cups and in the linings of infant formula cans and baby food jar lids. Last year, the Maine Board of Environmental Protection declared BPA the first of two priority chemicals required by law to be listed by January 1, 2011. More than 200 independent peer-reviewed scientific studies link widespread BPA exposure in babies to increased risk of brain damage, reproductive harm, breast and prostate cancer and obesity. Nine states, Canada and other countries, and major product makers have taken action to prevent children’s exposure to BPA. There are no federal EPA or FDA standards because the governing U.S. law, the so-called Toxic Substances Control Act, has not been updated in 35 years.
The Maine BPA rule that the Governor and chemical manufacturers want to repeal does three things: (1) requires safer alternatives to BPA in all reusable food and beverage containers including baby bottles and sippy cups. (This restriction was provisionally adopted and will come before the Legislature for approval soon as a "major substantive rule"), (2) requires an assessment of the availability of safer, cost-effective alternatives to the use of BPA in the infant formula and baby food containers, and (3) requires reporting by manufacturers if BPA is added to child care articles, toys or tableware.
GOV. LEPAGE WANTS TO GUT LAWS ON TOXICS IN EVERYDAY PRODUCTS! The Governor Recommends: "Review all regulation of consumer products and consider revisions to prohibitions of chemicals and materials in products. If the state is going to regulate consumer products at all, it should only do so when clearly justified on risk-benefit or cost benefit basis."
Public Health Response:
The Maine Legislature and past Governors have approved a series of laws to protect public health from dangerous chemicals in consumer products over the last ten years. Common sense and strong science dictated that we replace mercury thermometers (2001) and arsenic-treated wood (2003) with safer alternatives. Toxic flame-retardants in couches (2004) and computers (2007) were phased out in favor of other materials that provide equal fire safety. Maine ended the use of lead in toys (2008). Following unanimous recommendations of the Governor’s Task Force on Safer Chemicals in Consumer Products that met for 18 months, the Maine Legislature passed the Kid Safe Products Act in 2008. The work of internationally acclaimed Maine scientists and many others supported these policies.
After a few short weeks in office Governor LePage wants to reverse the course of history ignoring science in favor of poisonous political pandering to out of state chemical industries. Rather than requiring the chemical industry to demonstrate the safety of its products he suggests placing onerous handcuffs on government action to protect Maine people. These same constraints were proposed by the chemical industry and rejected in a bipartisan consensus by the Legislature in 2008.
GOV. LEPAGE WANTS TO LET THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY REGULATE ITSELF!
Public Health Response:
Why should Maine race to the bottom to compete with Mississippi and others for the weakest minimally required federal standards? Federal requirements establish the floor, not the ceiling, for environmental health protections for clean air and safe drinking water.
For toxic chemicals in consumer products, there are virtually no federal standards. That’s because under the badly broken federal Toxic Substances Control Act, only some uses of 5 dangerous chemicals have been restricted in 35 years. Yet 62,000 chemicals were grandfathered in without any restrictions when TSCA passed in 1976. Conforming Maine standards for toxics in products to the federal requirements means no protections at all from most dangerous chemicals!
Ignores Science and Common-Sense Protections from Toxic Chemicals
This week Governor Paul LePage called for an end to dozens of protections for the health of Maine people and our air, water and land. Three of his thirty-six proposed rollbacks take direct aim at Maine’s law to protect children's health from unnecessary dangerous chemicals in everyday products.
We’re appalled that Governor LePage would take the extreme position that children's health should be sacrificed in order to satisfy out-of-state chemical companies desire to avoid regulation.
Maine’s Kid Safe Products Act was adopted in 2008 with overwhelming bipartisan support, passing in the Senate by a vote of 35-0 and in the House by 129-9, despite relentless opposition from the national chemical industry. This is because everyone in Maine wins when we prevent disease, encourage business innovation, and reduce health care costs by replacing the most dangerous chemicals in everyday products with safer alternatives.
Not one single Maine business testified in opposition to the proposed law in 2008 or to the designation of two priority chemicals under the law in 2010!
The three proposals that would roll back the Kid Safe Products Act are included in Phase I of the Governor’s Regulatory Reform Proposals that target the Department of Environmental Protection. Our response to his recommendations follows below.
GOV. LEPAGE WANTS TO BRING BACK TOXIC BABY BOTTLES AND SIPPY CUPS!
The Governor Recommends: "Repeal BPA rule and rely on federal EPA and FDA standards."
For Immediate Release:
And here we have the latest Factoid for the Kingdom of IF:
By Susan Sharon MPBN Deputy News Director Gov. Paul LePage this
weekend defended his proposed list of more than 60 environmental rules
and regulations he'd like to see rolled back. T...
How much does it matter to the King that we have serious problems with our debt? Seemingly not at all. He would rather pander to the not so special interests of Business. Because as he said in his inaugural address, "profit is good"... And somewhere you can bet he is the one to profit from all this waste, deceit and anger, he has rained down upon the Kingdom.
Well, Big business does not want to change, Which means it will not be moving here too soon. Politics does not want to change, it just wants its money for nothing and the Cronies to be pleased.
So that just leaves us, the peasants, reading up on the Bastille. Be good, God bless.
Sincerely, Ms. Paula Page
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