Chairman Capito Participates in EPW Chemical Safety Subcommittee Hearing

To watch Chairman Capito's questions, click here or the image above.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, participated in an EPW Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight Subcommittee hearing examining the beneficial use and regulation of chemicals.

During the subcommittee hearing, Chairman Capito asked about the process of new chemical reviews in the United States and how that impacts innovation and competitiveness, and spoke about the importance of addressing PFAS in drinking water.

HIGHLIGHTS:

AMERICAN CHEMICAL COMPETITIVENESS:

Chairman Capito:

"When the EPA consistently imposes restrictions that go well beyond what's required in other nations, it can raise some questions. So, we're seeing innovative chemicals approved in countries, and you mentioned this, with robust safety programs, like the European Union or Japan, but they face burdensome restrictions here, and so it can't be commercialized in the United States. So, from your perspective as a global manufacturer, when the U.S. imposes more restrictive conditions than Europe or other major markets, and takes longer to do it, how does that affect where you choose to invest and to make your new chemical developments?"

Peter Huntsman, President and CEO, Huntsman Corporation:

"Well, today we have some 450, best of my knowledge, about 450 products that are in the pipeline, waiting approval right now, under TSCA. About 10% of those are expected to be approved within the 90 day time period, about 40% of those will go longer than one year. Some of those will go to, sometimes, up to two to three years. You take some of these same formulations and downstream applications and so forth to a country like China, and they will put a high priority where they will get it done within a 90 day time period. The government will give you incentives to build, to innovate, and to invest locally, and literally, in the time that you can get approved in the United States, you can be up and manufacturing that product in another country."

INNOVATION IN NEW CHEMICAL DEVELOPMENT:

Chairman Capito:

"To clarify, it's not an international race to the bottom in terms of safety and innovation. It's really the opposite. Innovation can, and many times I think the goal is more safety in developing new chemicals. Would you agree with that?

Peter Huntsman, President and CEO, Huntsman Corporation:

"Absolutely, our scrutiny that we're under today in new chemical development, forget for just a second about the issues around government approvals, but the trial attorneys and the multi-hundred billion dollar industry that exists on suing the chemical industry when it gets it wrong, is such an enormous incentive. When we come up with new products today, I believe that in my 40 years in this industry, versus where we were 10 years, 20 years, 30 years, it's like everything else in our economy. It's cleaner, it's more innovative, it's better, it's more thorough. Our scientific data and analysis is better today than it's ever been. So no, it's not a race to the bottom, but it is a race on speed, and it is a race on how quickly you can innovate and get to the next phase."

ADDRESSING PFAS:

"I will have to say, as chair of the full committee, and with our subcommittee chair here, I have, over the years, expressed and had great concerns over PFAS in our drinking water. It's something that we tried to reach an agreement on, I did with former Chair Carper last year, to try to get a bipartisan bill to help with this issue. My state has been affected by this and so, all of you can be very helpful to helping us get a bipartisan agreement here, because this problem is not going away. It hasn't been addressed, I don't think, as aggressively as I think that we can and should. So, I'm publicly pledging, as I have many times in the past, to work to make sure that your 20 grandchildren and my nine grandchildren can have that safe drinking water that they deserve."

Click HERE to watch Chairman Capito's questions.

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