Trump Taps Former Chemical Industry Shill To Lead Consumer Product Safety Commission

WASHINGTON – President Trump intends to nominate a former top chemical industry executive, who at the Environmental Protection Agency has led the rollback of important chemical safety regulations, to lead the Consumer Product Safety Commission, according to an announcement issued last night by the White House.

EWG once dubbed Nancy Beck "the scariest Trump appointee you've never heard of." Beck is currently the principal deputy administrator of EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention.

Before joining the administration, Beck was an executive at the American Chemistry Council, the powerful lobby group for the chemical industry. The National Academy of Sciences once called her proposed approach to chemical safety “fundamentally flawed.”

As senior director for regulatory science for the chemical lobby, Beck consistently fought for weaker chemical safety laws. Since her appointment, she has significantly weakened proposed rules to assess chemical safety in favor of the chemical industry and has fundamentally changed the way the EPA approves new chemicals before they come on the market to favor the interests of the industry she once worked for.

“Nancy Beck is just about the last person who should be in charge of safeguarding the American people from dangerous consumer products,” said EWG President Ken Cook. “Her track record, both in and out of government, is riddled with disregard for the risks that toxic chemicals in consumer goods pose to human health. Once again, we see the president appointing someone who will work to subvert the mission of the agency she would head.”

###

The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action.

Areas of Focus
Disqus Comments

Related News

Continue Reading