Maureen Gorsen will serve as the event’s keynote speaker, speaking on “If I Don’t Live or Work in California, Why Do They Get to Run My Business?” She will discuss how programs like Prop 65, the Green Chemistry Program, and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) influence product design and industrial processes nationwide.
Maureen will also speak on the panel “In Product Safety and Chemical Regulation, Washington Is Ceding Power to States and Localities.” Frustrated by what they view as weak federal regulation of products, chemical content, and emissions, some states and localities have enacted their own restrictions. Others have established labeling and reporting laws to shame manufacturers away from chemicals receiving media and blog attention. California is a leader in this trend, requiring Prop 65 labeling of products containing any of about 900 “listed” chemicals and limiting air emissions from wood products and power equipment. Another dozen states require reporting to state authorities of about 75 “chemicals of concern” in products intended for consumers under 12 years of age. Coupled with the “green” purchasing policies of retailers, these laws prompt marketplace deselection and effectively dictate how products are manufactured and sold nationwide.
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