One hot summer Saturday, I ventured into a “grocery mart” to purchase some water, only to find that my only options were flavored water, juice, and soda. This particular area does not have a neighborhood grocery store where people can purchase water. While I learned a lot this summer about many different issues, what I learned about drinking water was the most eye opening.
On June 7, Congress passed the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, potentially the most important new, non-energy-related environmental law in a generation. Whether this reform of the forty-year-old Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) meaningfully reduces the hazards to people and wildlife from tens of the thousands of untested chemicals on the market will depend on how effectively the EPA implements it. The new law is the result of years of painstaking work by advocates and funders. Whatever you think of it, its passage represents a major milestone for environmental health funding and advocacy.
