Author: DeAnne Curran
Maine Legislature Overrides Governor’s Veto To Pass Unprecedented Law Phasing Out Flame Retardants
Passed via dramatic veto override, new law will protect firefighters and families from toxic chemicals in household furniture Decisively overriding the Governor’s veto, Maine legislators have passed the first law in the nation to phase out all toxic flame retardants in upholstered furniture, protecting the health of families and firefighters.
The Ride to Reform
In our office yesterday, staff members shared a memory. It was four years ago this spring that a group of two-dozen Maine moms (along with some grandparents, college students, and others) boarded a bus with us. We headed down the highway to Washington, D.C., to join hundreds of other advocates who had come from all… Read more »
2016 Plants to Products Forum in June
How did Senator Angus King describe it, earlier this spring. . . ? Oh, that’s right. He said it was as devastating as “a natural disaster.” In late March, with leaders from federal economic development agencies who were touring Maine’s Lincoln Lakes and Katahdin regions, King said, “What’s happened in the paper industry in Maine… Read more »
Let the House Bill Make History
Congress has passed two bills to fix our broken chemical safety system under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), and negotiations on long-needed federal chemical reform are coming down to the wire. Reasonable chemical safety reform for the nation is within reach. But we’re worried: the Senate bill still on the table could block state… Read more »
Mom’s Right, Again
For anyone who’s ever doubted it, Mom was right. Especially when she said people have the right to know what chemicals are in the products they buy. Thanks to a lot of moms, a new national report issued this week reveals that a group of toxic chemicals are used in a broader range of household… Read more »
2016 Report to the Community
Just released, our 2016 Report to the Community thanks everyone who supported the Strategy Center last year. Toward the healthy world we’re working for, here’s what you made happen. You made the marketplace safer. You supported our victories in the national Mind the Store campaign that encourages retailers to “mind the store” responsibly by eliminating… Read more »
Report Shows Majority of Canned Foods Still Contain BPA
A national report released in March has verified that canned foods are still a major source of exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA), revealing its presence in the linings of two out of three cans of food distributed by popular national brands. Nearly 200 cans of food were tested. Buyer Beware: Toxic BPA & Regrettable Substitutes… Read more »
Still Time to Fix Broken Chemical Safety System
Congress passed the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) forty years ago to prevent harm to pregnant women, babies, workers, and other vulnerable groups from dangerous chemicals in everyday products. But the law was fundamentally flawed from the start. TSCA has failed so badly that even asbestos, which still kills 10,000 Americans annually, could not be… Read more »
Don’t Maine Kids Deserve Safe Drinking Water?
The crisis in Flint, Michigan is sparking important conversations nationwide about access to safe drinking water, free of toxic chemicals that impact brain development. Flint’s contaminated public water supply was in violation of safety standards established by the 1974 U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act, the law responsible for federal investigation into Michigan leaders’ sluggish response… Read more »
Happy Holidays: Senate Bill Won’t Protect Children from Imported Toxic Toys
In a vote that would make the Grinch proud, the U.S. Senate passed a bill at the height of the holiday shopping season that would make it harder to protect children from imported toys containing toxic chemicals. The Senate bill to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976 must be reconciled with a much… Read more »