A bill designed to keep toxic chemicals out of consumer products sold in Vermont won final approval in the Senate on Thursday.
The bill, S.239, passed 17-11. It still requires approval in the House.
The law would allow the Department of Health to maintain a running list of chemicals it considered harmful to human health. It could then require manufacturers to label or remove these chemicals found in their products sold in the state.
Sen. Ginny Lyons, D-Chittenden, is the bill’s lead sponsor. “Given where we are with the toxics reform at the federal level; given that we haven’t seen movement there; and given that we have over 60,000 chemicals that haven’t been adequately tested for their effect on public health, this is the way to begin,” Lyons said.
Environmental groups say the bill is a step toward protecting the public from chemicals linked to cancer, reproductive issues, neurological disorders, asthma and other health-related issues.
Some business groups oppose the bill. They prefer a national program to a patchwork of state policies, according to several Vermont business lobbyists.
The bill would require manufacturers to pay up to $2,000 for each chemical of high concern on the health department’s list. It includes a provision to share data with other states to prevent redundant reporting requirements.
The money would go to the Agency of Natural Resources and the health department to administer the program.
Sen. Dick Sears, D-Bennington, said lawmakers should make decisions to regulate chemicals, and not the health department.
“It’s not my desire to allow toxic chemicals to run rampant in Vermont. It’s my desire to regulate them one by one, and the way we do, with a public process. And I think this is the wrong process and I think the bill is a bad bill,” he said
Sears and the majority of the Judiciary Committee, which he chairs, voted against the bill.