House Bill Would Codify EPA’s Safer Choice

WASHINGTON -- Legislation to codify and strengthen the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Safer Choice Program, has been introduced in the House of Representatives.
 
Introduced by U.S. representatives Scott Peters (D-CA) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, M.D. (R-IA), The Safer Choice Program Authorization Act, would give producers a voluntary framework to evaluate the human health, environmental, and economic effects of the chemicals and technologies they use. This also helps consumers identify safer alternatives for cleaning and other products.

EPA’s Safer Choice Program has helped drive innovation in safer chemistry for decades but has never been formally authorized by Congress. The Safer Choice Program Authorization Act would permanently authorize the program so that producers have clear health and safety standards and consumers can rely on a trusted federal label for safer products.

“San Diegans and families across the country rely on safe, effective products every day, and they should know if these products have been vetted against the highest health and safety standards,” said Rep. Peters. “Our bipartisan bill would permanently give consumers that peace of mind and provide American producers the competitive advantage of a trusted, nationally recognized label. I’m glad to lead this bipartisan effort to ensure the Safer Choice Program benefits consumers and producers for years to come.”

“American families shouldn’t have to be chemists to know whether the products they buy meet high standards for health, safety, and performance,” said Dr. Miller-Meeks. “This bipartisan legislation gives consumers clearer information while encouraging manufacturers to develop safer products, all without creating a new mandatory regulatory regime. As a physician, I’m proud to support a voluntary, science-based approach that gives Americans more confidence in the products they use every day.”

The Safer Choice Program Authorization Act would:

• Formally authorize EPA’s “Safer Choice” and “Design for the Environment” programs;
• Maintain rigorous, science-based standards for participating products;
• Strengthen protections against conflicts of interest in product reviews;
• Ensure continued maintenance of EPA’s Safer Chemical Ingredients List; and
• Support transparency, stakeholder engagement, and public access to safer product information.

The legislation is supported by a wide variety of stakeholders including industry leaders, manufacturers, sustainability groups, and cleaning product organizations.

In June, bipartisan legislation was introduced by Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Jon Husted (R-OH) to formally authorize the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Safer Choice Program, which has operated for more than a decade as a voluntary, science-based certification program identifying cleaning and consumer products formulated with ingredients that are safer for human health and the environment.

For more, go to www.epa.gov/saferchoice.