H.R. bills (117th Congress)
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
To direct that certain assessments with respect to toxicity of chemicals be carried out by the program offices of the Environmental Protection Agency, and for other purposes.
Mr. Biggs introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
To direct that certain assessments with respect to toxicity of chemicals be carried out by the program offices of the Environmental Protection Agency, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Improving Science in Chemical Assessments Act”.
SEC. 2. RESEARCH NEEDS AND PRIORITIES OF EPA PROGRAM OFFICES.
The Environmental Research, Development, and Demonstration Authorization Act is amended by striking section 7 (42 U.S.C. 4364) and inserting the following:
“(a) In General.—The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall assure that the expenditure of any funds appropriated pursuant to this Act or any other provision of law for environmental research and development related to regulatory program activities shall be coordinated with and reflect the research needs and priorities of the relevant program offices, as well as the overall research needs and priorities of the Agency, including those defined in the five-year research plan.
“(b) Hazard Identification And Dose-Response Assessments.—Beginning on the date of the enactment of the Improving Science in Chemical Assessments Act, any covered assessments carried out with respect to a chemical substance through the Integrated Risk Information System program of the Environmental Protection Agency as of the day before such date of enactment shall, in lieu of being carried out through such program, be carried out by the relevant program office of the Environmental Protection Agency, so long as the relevant program office determines there is a need for such an assessment. Such an assessment shall be carried out using the scientific standards specified in section 7B and be based on the weight of the scientific evidence.
“(c) Toxicity Values.—In carrying out a covered assessment with respect to a chemical substance under subsection (a), the relevant program office shall assign a toxicity value or values, when scientifically supported by the available data, for such chemical substance. With respect to that assignment, the following shall apply:
“(1) When supported by the available data, the toxicity value or values shall include a range of point estimates of risk as well as sources and magnitudes of uncertainty associated with the estimates.
“(2) When multiple point estimates can be developed, the relevant program office shall—
“(A) consider all datasets; and
“(B) make a determination about how best to represent the human health risk posed by the chemical substance involved.
“(d) Chemical Assessment Database.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—A toxicity value or values assigned to a chemical substance under subsection (c) shall be included in a chemical assessment database to be maintained by the Office of Research and Development of the Environmental Protection Agency.
“(2) COMPLETED ASSESSMENTS.—All covered assessments stored, as of the date of the enactment of this Act, in the IRIS database of the Environmental Protection Agency shall be retained in the chemical assessment database established pursuant to paragraph (1).
“(3) UPDATES.—Such database shall be updated pursuant to a covered assessment performed by a relevant program office, including to make a change in the existing toxicity value or values for a chemical substance included in such database.
“(e) Certification.—Beginning 2 years after the date of the enactment of the Improving Science in Chemical Assessments Act and every 2 years thereafter, the Office of Research and Development of the Environmental Protection Agency shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate, a report containing a certification that each covered assessment completed during the period covered by the report was conducted using the scientific standards specified in section 7B.
“(f) Definitions.—In this section, section 7A, and section 7B: