Legislation to Implement the POPs, PIC, and LRTAP POPs Agreements

This written testimony by Glenn M. Wiser of the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), submitted to the U.S. House of Representatives on March 2, 2006, advocates for legislation to implement the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), the LRTAP POPs Protocol, and the Rotterdam PIC Convention. Wiser compares two proposed bills to amend the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)—H.R. 4800 (Solis bill) and H.R. 4591 (Gillmor bill)—arguing that only the Solis bill adequately implements the health and environmental protection goals of the Stockholm Convention.

• Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are described as a global threat that persist in the environment and accumulate in human bodies, potentially causing cancer, neurological and learning disabilities, and damage to immune and reproductive systems. Vulnerable populations include infants, children, Alaskans, indigenous peoples, workers, and communities near industrial facilities.
• The Stockholm POPs Convention bans or severely restricts ten industrial or agricultural chemicals and aims to minimize or eliminate two industrial byproducts. It includes a science-based process for adding new POPs, and the testimony notes that none of the original "dirty dozen POPs" are currently intentionally produced in the United States.
• The Solis bill (H.R. 4800) is supported because it adopts the Stockholm Convention's health-based standard, directing the EPA to implement control measures that protect against "significant adverse human health and environmental effects." It requires prompt regulatory action when new POPs are added and allows states to maintain stricter standards.
• The Gillmor bill (H.R. 4591) is criticized for replacing the Convention's health standard with a "reasonable balance" of costs and benefits, which the author claims would weaken safeguards and make it practically impossible for the EPA to protect Americans. Additionally, the bill would preempt all state and local POPs regulations.
• The testimony argues that the Gillmor bill's combination of a cost-benefit balancing standard and a "substantial evidence" standard for judicial review would repeat the failures of TSCA section 6, which the GAO reported has seen very few chemical regulations since 1990.
• The author clarifies that the Stockholm Convention's Annex F provides informational considerations for the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC) but does not establish a cost-benefit balancing standard for rulemaking. The fundamental standard for chemicals added to Annex A is elimination of production, use, import, and export.
• DDT is identified as the only intentionally produced POP listed in Annex B, meaning it is subject to restriction rather than elimination due to its role in malaria vector control, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.

APA

Wiser, G. M. (2006). Legislation to Implement the POPs, PIC, and LRTAP POPs Agreements. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Wiser_Testimony_2Mar06.pdf

Chicago

Wiser, Glenn M. Legislation to Implement the POPs, PIC, and LRTAP POPs Agreements. Center for International Environmental Law, 2006. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Wiser_Testimony_2Mar06.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Wiser |first1=Glenn M. |title=Legislation to Implement the POPs, PIC, and LRTAP POPs Agreements |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=2 March 2006 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Wiser_Testimony_2Mar06.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{wiser2006legislation, author = {Wiser, Glenn M.}, title = {{Legislation to Implement the POPs, PIC, and LRTAP POPs Agreements}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2006}, month = mar, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Wiser_Testimony_2Mar06.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }