The Outlook for Ratification
With the November 2008 election of President Obama and greater Democratic majorities in both houses, the prospects brightened for progress on an array of environmental health priorities, including eventual ratification of the Stockholm Convention. Other factors make it unlikely that the POPs ratification debate will follow the pattern of previous POPs stalemates. Public awareness about POPs in everyday products, in our homes, and in our bodies. Successful legislative achievements in more than a dozen state legislatures have demonstrated growing support for action. The 2008 passage of Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 which, among other things, tightened standards on lead and phthalates standards in children’s toys, demonstrated that environmental legislation can command strong bipartisan support in Congress.
The need for TSCA reform, not only for POPs ratification, but to protect health and the environment from many more chemicals, is clearer than ever. A series of reports by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office has documented serious shortcomings of the law. Even the chemical industry has changed their public stance, for the first time acknowledging that the 1976 law is in need of “modernization.” This poses a potential challenge for Stockholm Convention ratification, in that many environmental health, environmental justice, labor, and Indigenous groups that rallied on POPs are now focusing on more comprehensive federal reform. In addition, key committees for POPs ratification are tackling other major issues, including climate change, healthcare, and drinking water.
One important unknown is what priority the Obama Administration will assign to POPs ratification. Just weeks after his inauguration, President Obama dramatically reversed eight long years of opposition to a global mercury treaty. In the first few months, the administration has taken several steps to restore environmental protections that were loosened under President George Bush. The selection of EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, a former EPA professional and head of New Jersey’s state agency, bodes well. She identified toxic chemicals as one of her top five priorities. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who as a senator and throughout her career, has been a tireless champion for children’s health and international cooperation, also sends a strong message. POPs ratification could offer an attractive opportunity to demonstrate the Obama administration’s commitment to working constructively on an important global challenge, while protecting Americans from dangerous chemicals.