Articles by Melanie Benesh
Will Congress Protect Americans From Untested Chemicals?
Most people think that manufacturers must prove chemicals safe before they put them on the market. They're wrong.
Will Chemical Safety Bill Shortchange EPA?
The best car won't run if you don't put gas in it. Even if Congress modestly improves the federal chemical safety law—and there are lots of reasons to think it won't—the changes won't mean much if the...
Would Chemical Safety Bill be “Gold Standard” or “Fool’s Gold?”
Cal Dooley, the top lobbyist for the chemical industry, likes to say he is optimistic that the proposed chemical safety law being developed in Congress would be the “gold standard” on which other...
Legal Experts: Supreme Court Decision on Mercury Pollution Could Undercut Chemical Reform
You might think you can't put a price on protecting public health and the environment. But you'd be wrong — especially if we're talking about the nation's broken and outdated chemicals law, the 1976...
What Bedazzling Easter Dresses Can Tell Us About Chemical Reform
It's the time of year for pretty Easter dresses, and for many kids, the frillier and shinier, the better. Parents, however, should beware of dresses packaged with metal jewelry.
Beyond the Monsanto Clause: What Else Does the House Chemical Bill Get Wrong?
We wrote earlier this month about a troubling provision that was slipped at the last minute into the House version of the industry-backed chemical regulation bill that would update the weak 1976 Toxic...
Top Problems with New Senate DARK Act
Last night (March 14) Sen.Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) filed a new version of the bill we call the Deny Americans the Right to Know, or DARK, Act. Unfortunately, this new proposal is not much better than the...
GMO Lobster? GMO Bacon?
More meat and fish from genetically engineered animals could be coming to your dinner plate.
In Chemical Reform Law A Hidden Bailout for Monsanto’s Pollution
As the New York Times reported today, federal lawmakers may be about to give Monsanto a multi billion-dollar break. H.R. 2576, The TSCA Modernization Act, is a bill designed to update our nation's...
Will Chemical Safety Law Be Better?
In the coming months, congressional negotiators will try to reconcile two bills aimed at fixing the nation's broken and outdated chemical safety law, the Toxic Substances Control Act. As we've made...
Top Problems With the Two TSCA Bills
Consumers rightly expect that the chemicals used in everyday products are safe. Under current law, however, few are ever reviewed for safety.
New Cosmetics Framework Provides a Path Forward
Moving to address a gaping void in the nation's system of consumer protections, Senators Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) today (April 16) filed a bill – the “Personal Care...
How State Chemical Safety Policy Shapes The Consumer Market
States have been leading the way when it comes to protecting people from dangerous chemicals.
States Lead the Way on Dangerous Chemicals
States are leading the way when it comes to protecting people from dangerous chemicals.
Unlike Industry Bill, Boxer-Markey Bill Protects Health, Families
The two chemical safety “reform” bills introduced this week provide a clear choice for members of Congress.
