Bethesda, Maryland - The Adhesive and Sealant Council (ASC) says that Jim Jones, deputy assistant administrator of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will speak at the upcoming ASC Spring Convention being held 21-23 April 2013 at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, Georgia.
Jones will share the EPA's approach to chemicals management and pollution prevention, an area he oversees as part of the senior leadership team for the EPA, during a luncheon keynote to be held on Tuesday, 23 April.
In March 2012, the EPA announced a comprehensive approach to enhancing its existing chemicals management program plans through the identification of a work plan of 83 chemicals for further assessment under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Seven of these chemicals were identified for risk assessment in 2012 with draft assessments for the first five issued last week. The Agency has scheduled 18 more of these chemicals for assessment in 2013 and 2014. The assessments for the remaining 58 chemicals are expected to be completed by the end of 2017.
"It's critically important to hear directly from our Nation's regulatory agency leadership on what is on their regulatory agenda in order for industry to properly resource and plan for the ripple effects that always occur," notes Matthew Croson, ASC's president. "We are extremely pleased that Mr Jones has accepted our invitation and will share the Agency's view on managing chemicals, risk assessment and prioritization; we look forward to listening and learning from Mr Jones when we addresses our industry in April."
President Obama nominated Jim Jones to be the assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) in January 2012, a nomination that is currently pending in the US Senate. Jones is currently the acting assistant administrator of OCSPP. He is responsible for managing the office which implements the nation's pesticide, toxic chemical, and pollution prevention laws. The office has an annual budget of approximately $260 million and more than 1300 employees.
Information about ASC's Spring Convention and Expo can be found at www.ascouncil.org. Registration for the event is open to all ASC members, and industry professionals. The event is expected to draw more than 450 attendees, and will include more than 45 presentations and speakers over the 2.5 day event.