"'Chemicals of Concern' List Stuck at OMB"

"About 21 months ago, a proposed list of widely used chemicals that may pose health risks landed at the White House’s Office of Management and Budget for review. It’s still there."



"An attempt by the Environmental Protection Agency to create a 'chemicals of concern' list — part of the agency’s larger plans to improve what administrator Lisa Jackson has called an outdated and dysfunctional system for regulating toxic substances — remains stuck in the OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA).

The proposal has sparked heavy resistance among industry groups, some of which have met with White House officials and argued that releasing the list could harm the economy. By executive order, OIRA should finish such reviews within 90 days — or, in some cases, 120. Instead, it’s had the EPA list for 638 days — and counting."

Chris Hamby and Jim Morris report for the Center for Public Integrity's iWatch News February 9, 2012.

Source: iWatch News, 02/10/2012