ACS Policy Priority

Promote Science and Sustainability in Public Policy

Science can lead to a better understanding of new solutions to many of society’s problems, including environmental and health issues. To achieve this, the best science should be available to, and used by, government officials when making decisions. To achieve confidence in government decisions that depend upon science and technology, science must be considered in an open and responsible manner. ACS supports efforts to:

Encourage environmental decisions that promote sustainable resource usage and waste prevention in an economically-viable chemical enterprise.
Assure appropriate, balanced used of voluntary and regulatory measures in achieving environmental, health, safety, and security goals and promote the responsible use of science in environmental management.
Encourage appropriate global harmonization of environmental, health, and safety initiatives to advance science and technology around the globe.
Promote institutions and guidelines to assure that governments make appropriate and open use of scientific and technological information in making policy decisions.

Statement	Position
Biomonitoring	Reviews the science and interpretation of biomonitoring data on human health; calls for research to improve the utility of biomonitoring information in policy.
Global Climate Change	Reviews the science and recommends action on global climate issues.
Inherently Safer Technologies (IST)	Supports federal support of developing IST in reducing risk.
Labeling of Chemicals	Comments on OSHA proposal for global harmonization of hazard communication.
Laboratory Regulation	Endorses regulatory relief for research laboratories in academia, government, and industry.
Scientific Insight and Integrity	Supports the use of insightful and comprehensive scientific and engineering research and analyses to assist the development and evaluation of policy options. Encourages policies that assist the government to obtain and integrate scientific assessments including transparency, openness, empowerment of scientists inside and outside of government and an appropriate scientific advisory system.
Sustainability of the Chemical Enterprise	Defines the concept of sustainability in the context of the chemical enterprise and supports government incentives for sustainable technologies including regulatory flexibility, tax incentives, and research support.