Obama signs overhaul of toxic chemicals into law

WASHINGTON — President Obama signed the first major overhaul of toxic chemicals rules in 40 years into law on Wednesday, calling it proof that Washington can function despite intense polarization.

In a White House signing ceremony, Obama praised both chemicals industry groups and environmentalists alike for finding consensus despite their usual differences of opinion. He was joined by a diverse group of U.S. lawmakers who helped pass the legislation, including House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco and Republican Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana.

“If we can get this bill done, it means somewhere out there on the horizon, we can make our politics less toxic as well,” Obama said before putting his pen to the bill.

In addition to updating rules for tens of thousands of everyday chemicals, the law also sets safety standards for dangerous chemicals like formaldehyde, asbestos and styrene. The law seeks to standardize on the national level what is currently a jumble of state rules governing the $800 billion-per-year industry.

Congress spent more than three years working on the bill, which rewrites the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act and seeks to “bring chemical regulation into the 21st century,” according to the American Chemistry Council, which backed the overhaul.

“Folks should have the confidence to know the laundry detergent we buy isn’t going to make us sick, the mattress our babies sleep on isn’t going to harm them,” Obama said.

Republicans and some Democrats have been critical of Obama’s efforts to strengthen environmental and climate protections through regulations they say stifles businesses and created unnecessary burdens. In recent years, many Republicans have worked to pull funding for the Environmental Protection Agency.