Toxic Chemical Reform
- The Obama administration made a major public commitment to reform of the nation's outdated toxics chemicals law (TASCA).
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At historic conference to explore fundamental changes to U.S. chemical policy, hosted by EWG on Oct. 6, Lisa Jackson, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, pledged to work for "comprehensive reform" with "special consideration for exposures and effects on groups with higher vulnerabilities - particularly children." Energy Policy
- EWG analyses such as Crying Wolf: Climate Change Will Cost Farmers Far More Than a Climate Bill, Ethanol's Federal Subsidy Grab Leaves Little For Solar, Wind And Geothermal Energy and America Needs a True Renewable Energy Policy, changed the national conversation about corn ethanol by underscoring the false promises of conventional biofuels as a solution for climate change and energy independence.
- Major baby bottle manufacturers switched to non-BPA plastic. Lawmakers in Minnesota, Connecticut, Suffolk County, NY, and Chicago banned BPA in food packaging for babies and young children. The California Assembly voted 35 to 31 for a similar ban, falling just short of 41 votes needed for passage. Final action was postponed to 2010.
- EWG's three-year campaign for more effective sunscreens was affirmed by 70 percent of sunscreens offered for the 2009 beach season that contained strong UVA filters, compared to just 29 percent in 2008. EWG 's 2009 sunscreen guide contained new sections on moisturizers and lipbalms.
- A federal ban went into effect February 10, 2009, for phthalates, a toxic plasticizer, in children's toys and childcare items.
- On September 10 and December 12, 2009. senior mining analyst Dusty Horwitt testified before the New York City Council Environmental Protection Committee on proposed natural gas drilling in the New York City watershed.
- Natural gas companies want to use a process called hydraulic fracturing, which involves injecting water laced with toxic chemicals into the ground. The technique threatens environmental health and the safety of public drinking water, not to mention New York's bakers, who attribute their unsurpassed pizza and bagels to the purity of New York City water. EWG agreed with committee chairman James Gennaro that there should be no gas drilling allowed in the city's watershed.
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