The U.S. Senate tonight passed legislation reforming the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the major law to protect people and the environment from harmful chemicals. The legislation now will be reconciled with a House version passed in June, setting the stage for these critical chemical safety protections to be revised for the first time in nearly 40 years.

Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of National Wildlife Federation, said tonight:

“Loopholes in the Toxic Substances Control Act have allowed chemicals that we all know are unsafe to pollute our waters and harm our wildlife and public health. This bill would address long-standing public health and wildlife concerns, while also setting up a transparent, pragmatic and predictable chemical evaluation process for industry.

“Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) and Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) in particular deserve credit for their leadership on this legislation. We’ll keep working with Congress to finalize this bipartisan legislation that represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to strengthen protections from the most harmful toxic chemicals we encounter every day.”