[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6468 Introduced in House (IH)]
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115th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6468
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.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 23, 2018
Mr. Biggs (for himself, Mr. Smith of Texas, Mr. Lucas, Mr. Norman, Mr.
Rohrabacher, Mr. Posey, Mr. Weber of Texas, Mr. Babin, Mr. Higgins of
Louisiana, Mrs. Lesko, Mr. Hultgren, Mr. Abraham, Mr. Webster of
Florida, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Dunn, Mr. Westerman, and Mr. Moolenaar)
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
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
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:
``SEC. 7. RESEARCH NEEDS AND PRIORITIES OF EPA PROGRAM OFFICES.
``(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:
``(1) The term `covered assessment' means, with respect to
the evaluation of the human health effects resulting from
chronic exposure to a chemical substance, a chemical hazard
identification and dose-response assessment (as such terms are
defined by the Environmental Protection Agency on the day
before the date of the enactment of this Act).
``(2) The term `relevant program office' includes the
following offices of the Environmental Protection Agency:
``(A) The Office of Water.
``(B) The Office of Air and Radiation.
``(C) The Office of Land and Emergency Management.
``(D) The Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution
Prevention.
``(E) Any successor to an office specified in
subparagraphs (A) through (D) and any other office
determined to be relevant by the Administrator of the
Environmental Protection Agency.
``SEC. 7A. HAZARD IDENTIFICATION AND DOSE-RESPONSE STEERING COMMITTEE.
``(a) Establishment.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency shall establish a chemical hazard identification and
dose-response steering committee (referred to in this Act as the
`steering committee') to coordinate the conduct of covered assessments
by relevant program offices for purposes of ensuring that, with respect
to such assessments, there is no duplication of effort by such offices.
``(b) Duty.--The duties of the steering committee are the
following:
``(1) If the steering committee learns that more than one
relevant program office intends to conduct covered assessments
with respect to the same chemical substance, the steering
committee shall determine the most effective means of carrying
out a single covered assessment to prevent duplication of
effort by such offices.
``(2) For purposes of supplementing a covered assessment,
the steering committee shall consider any third-party
assessment of a chemical substance generated by another
Federal, State, or international agency or agencies or members
of the scientific community that meets the requirements
specified in subsection (e).
``(c) Chair; Composition.--
``(1) Chair.--The steering committee shall be chaired by
the Assistant Administrator of the Office of Research and
Development of the Environmental Protection Agency.
``(2) Composition.--The steering committee shall be
composed of 15 members, all of whom shall be active, full-time
employees of the Environmental Protection Agency, with at least
one member representing each relevant program office and each
regional office of the Environmental Protection Agency. The
members of the steering committee shall be appointed by the
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Any
vacancy shall be filled in the same manner as the initial
appointment.
``(d) Meetings.--The steering committee shall meet at least once
each calendar year.
``(e) Third-Party Assessment Requirements.--The requirements
specified in this subsection with respect to a third-party assessment
of a chemical substance are that the assessment--
``(1) is conducted using scientific standards specified in
section 7B;
``(2) has undergone independent scientific review for
transparency, completeness, and quality; and
``(3) reflects the best available science and the weight of
the available scientific evidence.
``SEC. 7B. SCIENTIFIC STANDARDS.
``Covered assessments carried out under section 7 and discussion of
such assessments and review of third-party assessments carried out
under section 7A, shall be conducted using scientific information,
technical procedures, measures, methods, protocols, methodologies, or
models in a manner consistent with the best available science. In
carrying out such an assessment, the relevant program office shall
integrate all lines of scientific evidence and consider, as
applicable--
``(1) the extent to which the scientific information,
technical procedures, measures, methods, protocols,
methodologies, or models employed to generate the scientific
information are reasonable for and consistent with the intended
use of the scientific information;
``(2) the extent to which the scientific information is
relevant for the relevant program office's use in making a
decision about a chemical substance;
``(3) the degree of clarity and completeness with which the
data, assumptions, methods, quality assurance, analyses
employed to generate the scientific information are documented
and publicly available in a manner that honors legal and
ethical obligations to reduce the risks of unauthorized
disclosure and re-identification;
``(4) the extent to which the variability and uncertainty
in the scientific information, or in the procedures, measures,
methods, protocols, methodologies, or models, are evaluated and
characterized;
``(5) the extent of independent verification or peer review
of the scientific information or of the procedures, measures,
methods, protocols, methodologies, or models;
``(6) the ability of the scientific findings and research
to be replicated or reproduced; and
``(7) the extent to which the available scientific
information supports dose-response modeling, using non-linear
approaches.''.
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