Comments from the NPRA

NPRA statement on introduction of Toxic Chemicals Safety Act

Charles T. Drevna, president of the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association (NPRA), on 23^rd July issued the following statement regarding the introduction o the Toxic Chemicals Safety Act:

‘We agree that sound, sensible modernisation of the Toxic Substances Control Act is appropriate. We also appreciate that steps Chairmen Waxman and Rush have taken to ensure an open stakeholder discussion in efforts to update TSCA, and as a result, positive progress has been made.

‘The legislation introduced last night, however, still gives rise to a number of concerns. Specifically, it appears that the testing and risk management processes still give EPA practically unchecked authority. The movement toward disclosure of sensitive business information, known as Confidential Business information (CBI), threatens to give competitors in China and India the ability to copy American manufacturers’ proprietary formulations. More work needs to be done to ensure TSCA modernisation legislation does not threaten American innovation and manufacturing and send domestic jobs and production overseas.

‘We look forward to working with members of Congress in making continued progress toward the responsible modernisation of our nation’s chemical safety laws.’

Drevna Op-Ed in USA Today: ‘Opposing view on gas tax: unwise and unaffordable’

From the op-ed by NPRA President Charles Drevna in USA Today, in response to a USA Today editorial advocating an increase in the federal gasoline tax:

‘If you think the USA would be better off with a higher unemployment rate, fewer small businesses and less money in family bank accounts, you should support big increases in federal taxes on gasoline and other motor fuels. Enacting sharply higher fuel taxes that would make it dramatically more expensive for people and goods to move around our nation would have the effect of imposing economic sanctions on ourselves. This amounts to a perfect recipe for a double dip recession…it makes sense for Congress to consider approving a small increase in the federal 18.4% /gal. gasoline tax, a handful of pennies per gal., if the money raised would go to the Highway Trust Fund to maintain, improve and expand our nation’s road system. Using some of this money to fund mass transit, to further reduce gasoline consumption, is also worth considering. But piling on billions of dollars in new gasoline taxes on top of billions of dollars in growing subsidies for other forms of energy is unwise, unaffordable and harmful.’

For the full text visit www.npra.org

NPRA

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/gas-processing/30072010/comments_from_the_npra/