"Dems Look To Bypass EPA With Asbestos Ban"

"House Democrats hope to sidestep the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with a bill that would ban asbestos within a year.

In a Wednesday hearing before the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change, Democrats grilled EPA chemical staff on why the agency hasn’t taken more restrictive actions on the harmful substance three years after passing a law to give the agency more authority to regulate dangerous chemicals.

“I wish today’s hearing wasn’t necessary and this bill wasn't necessary, but asbestos is still being imported into the U.S. and still being used in this country, and still killing about 40,000 Americans every year,” said committee Chairman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.)."

Rebecca Beitsch reports for The Hill May 8, 2019.