Trey Pollard trey.pollard@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted to advance the so-called Regulatory Accountability Act, which benefits a handful of big polluters and corporations by making it much harder to protect American families from deadly pollution, toxic food, and products that are known carcinogens. This legislation is a thinly-veiled attack on the entire system for creating federal safeguards and protections, setting criteria that are impossible for agencies to meet. By shifting decision-making from agencies to courts, it overwhelmingly stacks the deck for industry against the public.The outcome will be far fewer safeguards, and those remaining will take years longer to adopt
and emerge far weaker.
Here are a few ways this dangerous bill could harm people:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) could be blocked in updating safety standards for meat and poultry inspections and other food;
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could be blocked in strengthening rules to protect Americans from lead-contaminated drinking water;
EPA’s efforts to regulate cancer-causing asbestos could be stymied;
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) could be blocked from adopting safety measures to reduce the number of aircraft accidents and near misses;
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission could be blocked in setting rules to reduce the risk of a U.S. nuclear disaster like in Fukushima;
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) could be blocked in setting safety standards for emerging technology, like driverless cars;
The Mine Safety and Health Association (MSHA) could be blocked in updating protections for worker safety;
Drug companies could block the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from issuing rules to fight the opioid epidemic.
In response, Sierra Club Legislative Director Melinda Pierce released the following statement:
"This dangerous bill gives irresponsible corporations a license to kill, letting them put toxic toys and contaminated food on the shelves and deadly pollution in our air and water. Our families deserve better than this bill that could block efforts to curb lead-tainted drinking water and cancer-causing asbestos. We’ve all seen too many kids get sick because of pollution and toxic food, yet the sponsors of this bill are turning their backs on our families and siding with the big corporations who will profit when they can pump out dangerous toxins and deadly products at will. Any Senator who wants to protect the health of our families and our communities will reject this dangerous bill immediately.”
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.