Bush Administration Steps Up Pressure on EU to Weaken Proposed Chemical Laws

[Guest guest]

http://www.bushgreenwatch.org/mt_archives/000154.php

 

July 14, 2004

Bush Administration Steps Up Pressure on EU to Weaken

Proposed Chemical Laws

 

In its aggressive campaign to water down proposed new

toxic chemical regulations in Europe, the Bush

administration is now making vague accusations that

the European initiative violates World Trade

Organization (WTO) agreements governing how nations do

business with one another.

 

At a July 1 meeting of the WTO's Technical Barriers to

Trade Committee meeting, the administration submitted

general comments that parroted the U.S. chemical

industry's objections to the proposed regulations,

known as REACH (Registration, Evaluation, and

Authorization of Chemicals). However, U.S. officials

failed to spell out how REACH would conflict with

current WTO agreements -- despite recent demands from

two U.S. senators that they do so. [1]

 

Prior to the July 1 meeting, U.S. Senators Frank R.

Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Jim Jeffords (I-VT) wrote to

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick, asking that

he cite the specific WTO provisions that REACH would

allegedly violate.

 

" We are troubled by reports that the position of this

administration on REACH may reflect the interests of a

narrow segment of U.S. industry without consideration

of the broader ramifications for the U.S. economy,

national interest, public health, and the

environment, " the letter stated. [2]

 

The REACH initiative -- the most sweeping change in

European chemical policy in decades -- would require

chemical manufacturers to provide the public with

information about the potential harmfulness of their

products before placing them on the market. It would

also provide stricter regulations for thousands of

chemicals already on the market.. Although the

proposal would only govern countries in the European

Union, U.S. chemical manufacturers would have to

comply with the new rules in order to export their

products to Europe.

 

The Bush administration, which has consistently

favored policies beneficial to the U.S. chemical

industry, has teamed up with American chemical

companies to lobby against REACH and has already

succeeded in weakening some of the proposed rules.

Earlier this year, U.S. Secretary of State Colin

Powell himself stepped up pressure on the EU when he

cabled U.S. diplomats with a list of talking points,

urging them to voice these objections to European

officials. [3]

 

In its latest attack, the Bush administration is

working to rally support among allies outside of

Europe, to show that REACH would create barriers to

trade among nations. The administration's argument

" reflects a lot of industry arguments, such as the new

regulations being too 'costly' or 'burdensome,' " Mary

Bottari, an analyst for Public Citizen, told

BushGreenwatch.

 

" Once again, we have the U.S. position equals the

chemical industry position, " agreed Joe DiGangi, a

scientist with the Environmental Health Fund.

 

Supporters of REACH say sweeping changes in chemical

regulations are urgently needed, both here and abroad.

Currently, little is known about the safety of

chemicals manufactured in the U.S. or Europe. Contrary

to popular belief, the U.S. does not require companies

to test chemicals for human exposure risks before

placing them on the market.

 

###

 

SOURCES:

[1] US comments submitted to WTO Technical Barriers to

Trade Committee, July 1, 2004; Letter to US Trade

Representative Robert B. Zoellick from Sens.

Lautenberg and Jeffords, Jun. 22, 2004.

[2] Ibid.

[3] BushGreenwatch, Apr. 9, 2004.