Congresswoman Chellie Pingree and daughter Hannah Pingree talk about how Maine’s groundbreaking toxics policies are leading the way for national legislation

Hannah and Chellie speak at another toxics event in 2009.

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree and her daughter, Maine Speaker of the House Hannah Pingree, will speak at a national conference today about the impact Maine is having on making badly needed reforms to the federal chemical safety system.
 
“I’m really happy to be able to speak with Hannah about the groundbreaking policies Maine has passed to keep its citizens safe from the toxic chemicals we still find in everyday consumer products,” said Congresswoman Pingree.  “Our victories here in Maine are proving very influential as we try to pass similar reforms on the federal level.”
 
The panel discussion will be at 4:30 p.m. today at the Good Jobs Green Jobs Conference in Washington, D.C. Also speaking on the panel is Mike Belliveau, executive director of the Maine-based Environmental Health Strategy Center.  
 
Congresswoman Pingree is sponsoring national legislation that would ban the use of Decabromine—a toxic flame retardant commonly found in children’s products—over the next three years. After hearing of the proposed bill, the chemical industry agreed to a voluntary phase-out of the chemical and Pingree’s legislation would hold the companies to their word. (Downloadable photos of the press conference where Pingree announced the legislation are available at http://tinyurl.com/24hlwaq).
 
Led by Speaker of the House Hannah Pingree, the Maine Legislature has already passed a statewide ban on Deca.