September 24, 2007

ELI Congressional Briefing:
Has U.S. Chemical Regulation Lost Its ‘Zazz?

On Sept. 24, 2007, ELI held a panel discussion moderated by ELI President Leslie Carothers that asked whether the U.S. approach to regulating chemicals is still up to the task. Panelists were distinguished experts from ELI member environmental organizations, trade associations, and private law firms who live and breathe chemical regulation in the U.S. and abroad:

Richard Denison, Senior Scientist, Environmental Defense
Ernie Rosenberg, President & CEO, The Soap & Detergent Association
Daniel Uyesato, Counsel, Hunton & Williams LLP

The U.S. regulates chemicals under a system dating from 1976. Many have questioned its utility for regulating old chemicals and for handling new developments like nanotechnology. Recently, Europe and Canada have revamped their regulatory systems with highly ambitious proposals that may place significant burdens on U.S. manufacturers of both chemicals and products that contain regulated substances.

• Do the current laws and regulations adequately protect human health and the environment?
• Is the U.S. system keeping up with new developments like nanotechnology?
• Does the U.S. system need minor tweaks or a major overhaul?
• Will the European and Canadian systems function better, worse, or not at all?
• Will foreign systems effectively replace the U.S. system for American companies?