[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 84 (Thursday, May 26, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S3280]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


     FRANK R. LAUTENBERG CHEMICAL SAFETY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY BILL

  Mr. UDALL. Mr. President, the following information is in response to 
an article entered into the record by Senator Boxer of California 
earlier today.
  The Hearst News article in question was published in the San 
Francisco Chronicle and implies that the chemical industry drafted S. 
697, the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act. 
This implication is false.
  The bill authors, including myself, wrote this bill. Drafts of the 
bill were circulated to many interested stakeholders throughout the 
drafting process and returned with comments. This process took over 3 
years, and drafts were circulated each step of the way. Reforming the 
Toxic Substances Control Act was a very involved and transparent 
process.
  Environmental groups, trial lawyers, industry, State officials, and 
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency were consulted at many stages 
throughout the process.
  All of their input is reflected in the bill in various provisions, 
often the same ones. This is major comprehensive legislation that has 
received wide bipartisan support.
  The New York Times looked into the allegation that the chemical 
industry wrote the bill. Their lead reporter, Eric Lipton, wrote on 
March 17: ``Lots of players, including enviros, submitted drafts with 
proposed changes.''
  Again, many drafts of this bill were shared by a variety of Senate 
offices with many stakeholders in a very engaged process over 3 years.
  It is disappointing that I must refute this allegation in the 
Congressional Record, but it is important to get the facts straight 
when explaining the legislative history of TSCA reform.
  (At the request of Mr. Reid, the following statement was ordered to 
be printed in the Record.)

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