Washington, D.C. - Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) released the following statement after the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act (H.R. 1603 ) was favorably reported, as amended, to the full House of Representatives by a vote of 47-1:
“It’s been more than 40 years since the Environmental Protection Agency began its work to ban asbestos, and today this Committee took a major, bipartisan step to do just that. The Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act finally bans the manufacture, import, processing and distribution of asbestos. I am proud that we were able to come to a bipartisan agreement to advance this bill out of Committee with overwhelming support, and look forward to bringing it to the House floor soon. It’s time we ban asbestos for good."
H.R. 1603, the “Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act of 2019," was introduced by Reps. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Pallone and 24 additional cosponsors. It would ban the production, use and importation of asbestos. The legislation implements a complete ban on the toxic substance one year after the bill’s passage.
AINS to H.R. 1603 offered by Environment and Climate Change Subcommittee Chairman Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Ranking Member Rep. John Shimkus was adopted by voice vote:
* The AINS makes several changes in response to concerns raised by stakeholders at the hearing on this legislation and over the last several months. These include: extending the phase out of asbestos for the chlor-alkali industry; clarifying the timing and content of required reports; clarifying which non-asbestiform varieties of winchite and richterite are covered by the ban; adopting an impurity threshold for construction materials; and instructing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to enter into a contract with the National Academies to produce a report on legacy asbestos and associated exposures (and providing an authorization of funding for that contract).
