Frank Lautenberg

Well, I am sure you are fully aware of the fact that somewhere over 60 percent of the funding is already committed for by the State and the Port Authority.

Does this budget signify that the President and the Administration are fully committed to building a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River?

What is more, when completed this tunnel will create 44,000 new jobs--permanent jobs.

When the tunnel is finished, it will take 22,000 cars a day off the roads.

If we really want to do more than fill potholes and fix traffic lights and actually tackle the enormous transportation challenges we face, we have no choice. We have to work together.

Transportation is the life blood of my State and our country.

I salute the industry, I think it is a wholesome, necessary industry in our society, the chemical industry.

We must do whatever can to protect that development of that child, to protect the health and well-being of people across our country.

What we are discussing here today is essential to at least warrant to the public that we are trying to do whatever we can to protect them.

Current law allows chemical makers to hide health and safety data from the public.

American companies should not be disadvantaged by competition from outside the country.

Chemicals that we call PBTs buildup in our bodies, fail to break down over time and are known to be toxic.

We want to produce a product that will prevent lots of diseases that children seem to be acquiring, whether it is cancer, neuro-behavioral, asthma, et cetera.

The one thing that I gleaned from the testimony overall is to be careful about the way a TSCA reform should be developed.

Under current law, EPA bears the burden of proving that a chemical is unreasonably dangerous before the agency can restrict it to protect public health.

I want to say that your testimony, the testimony from each one of you was worth hearing.

Thank you very much, Mr. Drevna.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Ms. Bosley.

Thank you very much, Mr. Williams.

Thank you very much for being with us.

I look forward to working with Senators on both sides of the aisle to refine the bill.

I intend to introduce a bill that lays out a vision for strong, effective and pragmatic regulation of chemicals.

I look forward to hearing from our witnesses about why reforming our chemical laws is good for business.

The current law is not good for the environment, it is not good for our health, and it is ultimately not good for business.