While EPA’s approach to asbestos remains in flux, advocates are hoping this will be the year to get a congressional ban on the cancer-causing substances across the finish line.
Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska joined Rep. Suzanne Bonamici and Sen. Jeff Merkley, both Oregon Democrats, in reupping the “Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act” to end all commercial and industrial uses of asbestos.
Bacon first signed on as a co-sponsor in September 2023. This week, he became an original co-sponsor. Merkley and Bonamici have authored versions of the legislation for the past four Congresses.
“We know, without a doubt, that asbestos is a dangerous, deadly substance,” Bacon said in a statement. “There is no reason we should be importing asbestos when we know there is a direct connection to mesothelioma and other cancers.”
