US States’ ability to protect from toxic chemicals under attack on two fronts – at home and abroad

A statement by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) arguing that the chemical industry is attempting to undermine the ability of US states to enact protective toxic chemical legislation through the reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).

• The chemical industry is pursuing a dual strategy to weaken US state-level chemical regulations: pushing for the reform of the federal Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and utilizing the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) to lower regulations through "regulatory cooperation."
• Due to the perceived failure of the federal TSCA—which the document notes allows known human carcinogens like asbestos to remain unbanned and only required safety testing for 200 of over 84,000 chemicals—38 US states have passed 250 laws over 30 years that exceed federal standards.
• Pending TSCA bills in the US Congress and EU proposals for TTIP may establish federal standards as a "ceiling" rather than a "floor," effectively preempting the authority of US states to enact more protective legislation against hazardous chemicals.
• While the EU has higher chemical safety levels under its REACH regulation, chemical industry federations in both the US and EU are advocating for a reduction of regulatory differences under TTIP, which CIEL claims is a convergence toward the "lowest common denominator."

APA

Kistler, A. (2015). US States’ ability to protect from toxic chemicals under attack on two fronts – at home and abroad. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/us-states-ability-to-protect-from-toxic-chemicals-under-attack-on-two-fronts-at-home-and-abroad/

Chicago

Kistler, Amanda. US States’ ability to protect from toxic chemicals under attack on two fronts – at home and abroad. Center for International Environmental Law, 2015. https://www.ciel.org/us-states-ability-to-protect-from-toxic-chemicals-under-attack-on-two-fronts-at-home-and-abroad/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Kistler |first1=Amanda |title=US States’ ability to protect from toxic chemicals under attack on two fronts – at home and abroad |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=1 October 2015 |url=https://www.ciel.org/us-states-ability-to-protect-from-toxic-chemicals-under-attack-on-two-fronts-at-home-and-abroad/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{kistler2015states, author = {Kistler, Amanda}, title = {{US States’ ability to protect from toxic chemicals under attack on two fronts – at home and abroad}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2015}, month = oct, url = {https://www.ciel.org/us-states-ability-to-protect-from-toxic-chemicals-under-attack-on-two-fronts-at-home-and-abroad/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }