Toxic Substance Control Act to Get Senate Vote
On September 29, after negotiators concluded an agreement with Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) that would allow consideration of the bill to proceed, the office of Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) and several other Senate aides said that legislation for the overhaul of the way the U.S. regulates its chemicals could reach the Senate floor for the first time since 1976. According to Bloomberg, the bill currently has 56 co-sponsors from 36 states.
Economy Seriously Threatened by Looming PTC Deadline
According to an American Chemical Council report, if Congress does not extend the deadline for the implementation of positive train control (PTC), the US economy will take a devastating blow. A one-month disruption in service would reduce the GDP by $30 billion and cost 700,000 jobs, the report said.
“A prolonged shutdown would be truly catastrophic, likely resulting in a recession,” says ACC president and CEO Cal Dooley. “We cannot afford to let this self-inflicted crisis happen. Congress must act now.”
