Click here or the image above to watch Ranking Member Capito’s questions.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today at a Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee hearing, Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) discussed ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) New Chemicals Program with Dr. Michal Freedhoff, assistant administrator of EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention.

HIGHLIGHTS:

COLLABORATING TO IMPROVE EPA’S NEW CHEMICALS REVIEW PROCESS:

RANKING MEMBER CAPITO:

“I mentioned the document we had shared last week and you all came back with some responses to that on ways that we could improve the system and I wanted to get your initial reaction on any of these you think would help the most…and maybe prioritize one, two, or something of that nature.”

ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR FREEDHOFF:

“Sure. Well, thanks again for the constructive meeting we had, Senator Capito. I always appreciate the way you and your staff work with the agency…I thought your list had a lot of really good ideas in it. And I think there's a few that I feel like we can commit to as long as our budget’s not cut.

“So first, there was a program called the Sustainable Futures Initiative that existed before the law was changed and the purpose of that program was for EPA to help industry write better new chemicals submissions, to do training, technical assistance, and you know, and that sort of thing. So assuming our budget’s not cut, we would like to hire someone whose entire job it will be to revamp the Sustainable Futures Initiative and build on the outreach to industry that we've been doing over the past few years to help them help us really, in reviewing new chemicals. Another thing that your list said that sometimes we use we use models instead of industry-submitted data. And there was interest in getting transparency from us on why we might choose to do that if we have actual industry data, and we think that's a great idea and are absolutely able to commit to that.”

EPA HAS THE AUTHORITY TO HIRE STAFF, INCREASE EFFICIENCY:

“On the resource issue, because this keeps coming up. Your budget has gone up. And I mentioned in my opening statement…Title 42…it gave you an opportunity to get some highly specialized individuals. You've had this ability for two years and haven't used it. It’s hard for me to square, ‘I need more resources,’ when we gave as a Congress you an ability to really specialize here and it hasn't been used. What kind of assurances…are more resources going to solve this issue?”

ON WHETHER OR NOT INTENTIONAL MISUSE SHOULD BE A REASON TO RESTRICT NEW CHEMICALS:

RANKING MEMBER CAPITO: 

“The speculative unintended uses of chemicals are being used to justify overly stringent restrictions. Do you believe that every potential use of a chemical, including the intentional misuses, are reasonably foreseeable or a reason to restrict?”

ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR FREEDHOFF:

“No, I don't.”

EPA HAS THE FUNDING TO IMPROVE NEW CHEMICALS PROGRAM:

“The frustration I have as a member, I think probably all of us, doesn't matter what side of the aisle you are, it may matter what administration it is. It's always, ‘I just need more money. If I had more money, I would solve every single problem.’ And you know…sometimes we have to be more efficient. We have to be more innovative. We have to use the authorities like Title 42 that we have to be able to move forward for more specialized investigations, listen more to the stakeholders. All these kinds of things I think we can make improvement on, understanding the resource issues. But you have gotten more resources…certainly EPA, 2,000 more people. Can the administrator reprioritize?”

Click HERE to watch Ranking Member Capito’s questions.

Click HERE to watch Ranking Member Capito’s opening statement.

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