US chems seek fast funding for Montebello deal

17 March 2008 23:05  [Source: ICIS news]

BALTIMORE, Maryland (ICIS news)--Chemical firms will ask Congress to quickly implement the three-nation Montebello environmental deal in hopes of heading off a Reach-like plan under a new US administration, a top industry official said on Monday.

 

Bill Allmond, director of government relations at the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association (SOCMA), said his group has joined with other leading trade associations to get accelerated funding to implement the Montebello Agreement reached between the US, Canada and Mexico last year.

 

Under the tripartite agreement signed in August 2007 at Montebello, Quebec, by 2012 the US was to complete risk characterisations on more than 9,000 chemicals produced in quantities of 25,000 pounds (11.3 tonnes) or more, so-called moderate volume chemicals. 

 

The agreement is designed “to ensure that these chemicals are produced and used in ways that minimise risks to health and the environment”, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

 

In addition, the agreement provides that by 2020 the three countries will establish and maintain current information on chemical inventories held by each nation. 

 

The Montebello agreement was to build on the nine-year-old US high production volume (HPV) testing programme that has established toxicity profiles on some 2,800 compounds that are manufactured or imported in quantities of 100,000 pounds (450 tonnes) or more annually.

 

The new three-nation deal was widely welcomed by US chemicals manufacturers who saw the risk-based Montebello strategy as an acceptable alternative to the EU’s controversial registration, evaluation and authorisation of chemicals (Reach) programme that is now coming into force.

 

On one hand, Allmond said, US chemical manufacturers are concerned about having a new chemicals testing programme initiated under Montebello before EPA completes analysis of the HPV testing, results that could influence how the Montebello agreement is put into play.

 

However, he said, there also is concern that a new administration in the White House in 2009 might scrap the Montebello plan in favour of enacting a new US chemicals testing programme along the lines of Reach.

 

In hopes of establishing the Montebello agreement’s approach, Allmond said that “several trade associations are going to appeal to Congress to provide additional funding to EPA in 2009 to advance this Montebello initiative”.

 

In addition to SOCMA, Allmond said the American Chemistry Council (ACC), the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association (NPRA) and the Soaps and Detergents Association (SDA) are among chemical trade groups that will press Congress to accelerate funding for and implementation of the Montebello agreement.

 

“But I am afraid we may be running out of time,” Allmond said.

 

The US national elections are in November, and the work of Congress is already being slowed as members focus increasingly on their re-election campaigns rather than legislation.

 

Allmond spoke on the sidelines of the three-day GlobalChem conference on industry regulatory developments.  The programme is cosponsored by SOCMA and ACC.

By: Joe Kamalick
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< previous article(ICIS Chemical Business podcast November 2, 2009)

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