Political Quotes

“Madam President, I came from a press conference on the third floor, with Chairman Inhofe, Senator Vitter, Senator Whitehouse, and Senator Merkley, about the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act. So I thought I would talk a little bit about what we are trying to do and where we are headed. Americans trust that when they go to the grocery store or when they are in their own homes, the products they reach for are safe. The current system fails that trust. It fails to provide confidence in our regulatory system, and it fails to provide confidence in our consumer products. We cannot let that failure continue. I rise today to urge support for the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act. It is the best chance we have-- possibly for many years--to protect our kids from dangerous chemicals. The Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, or TSCA, is supposed to protect American families. It does not. There are over 84,000 known chemicals and hundreds of new ones every year. Of all of these chemicals, how many have been regulated by the EPA? Less than half a dozen. The EPA cannot even regulate asbestos, a known carcinogen, since losing a court battle in 1991. So for decades, the risks and the dangers are there, but there is no cop on the beat. Some States are trying to fill the gaps by regulating a few chemicals. But my home State of New Mexico, and the vast majority of other States, have no ability to test chemicals.…”