"Obama Admin Steps up Pressure To Ratify Treaties on Toxics"

"The Obama administration is renewing the long-running effort to win U.S. ratification of two international treaties aimed at limiting the reach of the world's most toxic chemicals.

The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and the Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent, which took effect in 2004, empower countries to curb the importation and production of toxics deemed especially high risk. But official U.S. entry into the treaties requires Senate approval as well as a vote in both chambers on tweaks to two major environmental laws -- implementing language that is currently tied up in the broader debate over reforming federal chemicals policy.

At a Capitol Hill briefing [Thursday] organized by the Senate's leading voice for stronger toxics rules, Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), officials from U.S. EPA and the State Department urged lawmakers to speed the passage of implementing legislation and give the administration a seat at the table for future global chemicals talks."

Elana Schor reports for Greenwire September 24, 2010.