Democrat control in US Congress alters landscape

09 November 2006 22:58  [Source: ICIS news]

WASHINGTON (ICIS news)--The shift of power to Democrats in the US Congress is already changing the legislative landscape that chemical producers will traverse next year, industry lobbyists said on Thursday.

Greg Dolan, vice president for communications and policy at the Methanol Institute, noted that in the House, Representative John Dingell (Democrat-Michigan) will again take the gavel at the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee, a position he held for 15 years until 1995.

 

“Dingell is expected to launch a series of hearings on climate change issues in advance of offering ‘responsible legislation’ that will not ‘shift the entire burden’ to industry,” Dolan said.

 

Dingell also “will take a hard look at alternative fuels,” Dolan said, citing the congressman.

 

In addition, Representative Henry Waxman (Democrat-California) will take over chairmanship of the House Government Reform Committee, Dolan said, “and he is expected to conduct extensive oversight of federal chemical safety laws.”

 

“A chief concern of the chemical industry is Democratic efforts to renew debate on chemical security legislation,” Dolan said.  “Democrats are likely to push for provisions mandating facilities to switch to inherently safer technologies,” he added, referring to technologies favoured by environmentalists that would require producers to use less volatile feedstocks and lower temperature and lower pressure processes.

 

However, Bob Slaughter, president of the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association, said on Thursday that he believed the new Democrat-controlled Congress would have many more pressing objectives than to bother amending the chemical plant site security bill. The measure was passed in September and will be enforced by the Department of Homeland Security.

 

Dolan suggested that “There also may be an interest [among the new Democrat majority in Congress] in reviving a bill that resembles the Reach programme in Europe, mandating manufacturers to demonstrate chemicals’ safety before they can be sold.”

 

In the Senate, Senator Barbara Boxer (Democrat-California), a supporter of the environmental movement, will become chairwoman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, replacing current chairman, Senator James Inhofe (Republican-Oklahoma), who has challenged the concept of global warming.

 

Boxer, said Dolan, “is expected to provide a 180-degree change” from Inhofe’s focus. Dolan said Boxer is also expected to hold a series of hearings on climate change.

 

According to Dolan, Boxer has already begun talks with the likely new chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources, Senator Jeff Bingaman (Democrat-New Mexico), about a joint effort of the two committees to address climate change issues.

By: Joe Kamalick
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