If you
haven’t heard of California’s ‘Green Chemistry Initiative, you will
soon. It is a bold step that has the potential to change the way we
approach chemicals in consumer products.
It also has the potential to
further hamstring California’s struggling economy, drive jobs from the
state and raise consumer prices. So, it’s an issue worth our
attention.
In a nutshell, the ‘Green Chemistry Initiative’ is a California-only
endeavor to identify and regulate "chemicals of concern" in consumer
products made or sold in California. It would regulate alongside
existing oversight by the FDA, EPA, Prop. 65 and many others. The
Department of Toxic Substance Control is now finalizing the
regulations to make this plan a reality.
These rules will determine whether the initiative enhances consumer
safety, inspires innovation and triggers new investment, or whether it
delivers only increased costs, lost jobs and crippling new burdens on
manufacturers and business in California.
The Green Chemistry effort is a worthy effort and it has had the
support and participation of many of California’s leading employers
and manufacturers. We’re involved because the initiative is simply
too important for regulators to get wrong. If California is going to
set the example and put its economy at risk, the program must be done
right. This means not succumbing to pressure from environmental
activists and insisting on regulations built around balance and
science.
For a better read from an expert, check out Dawn Sanders-Koepke,
co-chair of the Green Chemistry Alliance, who raised excellent points in this weekend’s op-ed in the Sacramento Bee. You can also see the Alliance’s letter and regulatory comments sent to DTSC on the
regulations here.