[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 10469-10470]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   A BILL TO AMEND THE TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL ACT AND THE FEDERAL 
              INSECTICIDE, FUNGICIDE, AND RODENTICIDE ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOB GOODLATTE

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 13, 2002

  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, today I join my colleague Representative 
Paul Gillmor in introducing legislation submitted by the Administration 
which would implement three very important international agreements 
involving the distribution and sale of chemicals and pesticides in 
international commerce.
  This legislation will amend the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and 
Rodenticide Act, and the Toxic Substances Control Act in order to 
comply with our obligations under the Stockholm Convention on 
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs Convention), the Protocol to the 
1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on Persistent 
Organic Pollutants (LRTAP POPs Protocol), and the Rotterdam Convention 
on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals 
and Pesticides in International Trade (PIC Convention).
  Due to their unique characteristics, POPS, which include substances 
such as DDT, PCBs and dioxins, are chemicals of both local and global 
concern. POPs are toxic, persist in the environment for long periods of 
time, and accumulate as they move up the food chain. The United States, 
among the very first to call for a global POPs Convention, provided 
strong leadership throughout the negotiations to bring this important 
environmental treaty to a successful conclusion.
  Likewise, the PIC procedure is designed to give participating 
countries in the developing world information about the risks posed by 
banned or severely restricted chemicals, as well as certain severely 
hazardous pesticide formulations.

[[Page 10470]]

  Each of these conventions represent a well thought out and balanced 
approach at gaining international agreement on procedures to protect 
human health and the environment. I commend all of the negotiators from 
the present and past administrations that worked on these agreements.
  Mr. Speaker, the legislation we introduce today represents a starting 
point from which Chairman Gillmor, working through his Subcommittee on 
Energy and Commerce, and I through mine on Agriculture, will build 
bipartisan legislation under which the United States would be in full 
compliance with our international obligations under these conventions.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues, the Administration, and 
interested constituencies to develop this legislation and ensure that 
the United States continues to hold our position of leadership in 
developing effective, achievable and balanced international 
environmental policy.