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Take action to stop House Resolution 4591 (Paul Gillmor, R-Ohio), a cynical bill that would jeopardize public health and the environment by preventing states from controlling the use of harmful pesticides and other toxic chemicals.

HR 4591, which passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee on July 12, would allow the federal government to preempt and block state and local government standards that ban or restrict the use of toxic chemicals. HR 4591 is opposed by more than a dozen state attorneys general, the American Nurses Association and more than 100 environmental and public health groups.

This controversial legislation is an effort to undermine the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, an international treaty signed by 127 nations to eliminate some of the world's most harmful chemicals, which has yet to be ratified by U.S. Congress. HR 4591 would modify the Toxic Substances Control Act to create loopholes that allow the chemical industry to continue producing and selling toxic agents. Parallel legislation could delay the phasing out of known harmful chemicals by requiring the Environmental Protection Agency to use a cost-benefit standard rather than a health standard when determining whether to ban chemicals in pesticides or industrial products. The EPA would also have no clear timetable for regulating pollutants that are added to the treaty's list of banned substances, and there would be no citizen participation process to challenge the EPA's actions or lack thereof.

This bill is the latest Republican effort to block states from enacting more stringent environmental, public health and consumer protections than lax federal standards. The Bush administration has recently overturned, stalled or weakened numerous state initiatives to curb air pollution, reduce global warming by regulating carbon dioxide emissions, maintain authority over the siting of energy facilities, and require food-warning labels.

The passage of HR 4591 from the Energy and Commerce Committee moves the debate to the House and Senate Committees on Agriculture, where legislation amending the federal pesticide law must be agreed upon, and then to the full House and Senate for a final vote.

Please contact your representative and insist that they oppose HR 4591 and preserve the rights of states to pass regulations needed to safeguard public health and the environment. Congress should instead support the treaty ratification bill proposed by Rep. Hilda Solis (HR 4800), which places public health protections over business interests and poses no threat to states’ rights.