California bill seeks to expand SCP programme authorities

California legislators are considering a bill to increase the regulatory heft of the state's Safer Consumer Products programme (SCP). Existing law requires manufacturers of ‘priority products’ designated under the scheme either to phase out the use of chemicals of concern, or undertake an alternatives analysis to determine if there are safer replacements. But a bill (SB 392) introduced last week seeks to give the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) the authority to bypass the alternatives assessment process and proceed directly to a regulatory response, relying on existing, publicly available analyses of alternatives to the chemical of concern in question. It would also expand the state’s authority to require product manufacturers to provide certain information, such as sales data or information on a chemical’s concentration and functional use in a product. Where they are unable to do so, it proposes, they would need to put the DTSC in contact with the chemical manufacturer, who would then be required to provide it.