Industry Groups Urge Opposition to New York Bill on Chemicals in Consumer Products
Industry groups urged New York legislators to reject bills in the state senate and assembly that would place new restrictions on the sale of consumer products that contain certain chemicals, in a letter dated June 3. Similar to laws recently passed in Maine, Washington, and California, the New York bill would create a list of priority chemicals and ban consumer products that contain those chemicals in some circumstances (see 14040401). The American Apparel and Footwear Association, Toy Industry Association, and 22 other groups said the bills would only further a developing patchwork of state regulations that would hamper economic growth.
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The New York Assembly overwhelmingly passed its version of the chemicals bill, A. 6328, in March. The New York Senate’s Environmental Conservation Committee reported the bill on June 3.
The industry groups said the proposal to create a state regulatory program that targets specific chemicals “does not provide for an adequate, scientific, risk-based system of analysis; instead, it appears to identify chemicals of concern based on a hazard characterization alone.” Regulators need to focus on other considerations too, like product use and user exposure. “With this proposed legislation lacking such consideration, the process would only add uncertainty for New York businesses and would force companies to comply with yet another state regulatory program among an already crowded patchwork of state laws,” said the letter.
“Instead of a state-by-state approach, we believe that our nation’s federal chemicals management law must be updated to keep pace with scientific advancements and to ensure that chemical products are safe for intended use—while also encouraging innovation and protecting American jobs,” said the letter. The federal Chemical Safety Improvement Act currently being considered by the U.S. Senate would achieve that goal, said the letter.