Sens. Carper, Coons Statement on Passage of Food Safety Bill

WASHINGTON – Today, Sens. Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) voted for The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (S.510), which passed the Senate by a bipartisan vote of 73 to 25.  
 
The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act amends the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), to give new authority to the US Food and Drug Administration to oversee the safety and security of our nation’s food. Although FFDCA has been amended since it was first passed in 1938 to include provisions such as nutrition labeling and regulation of pharmaceutical drugs, the law’s provisions designed to oversee food safety and security have not been significantly updated in over 70 years. The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act provides FDA with new tools and resources to help prevent food-borne illness and improve food safety and security. These provisions include: giving FDA the authority to recall food when firms fail to voluntarily recall their products; establishing a national trace-back system to enhance food surveillance; requiring food importers to perform food safety supplier verification activities; expanding food facility registration laws requiring all food facilities (excluding farms) to register with the FDA biennially; and, requiring all registered domestic facilities (excluding farms) to identify known or reasonably foreseeable hazards and implement preventative controls to minimize hazards. 
 
“It is high time that we, here in the Senate, passed the Food Safety Bill,” said Sen. Carper. “Our food safety laws have not been updated in over 70 years, despite the occurrence of several alarming food-borne illnesses and in some cases, even deaths. This important legislation finally gives the Food and Drug Administration the tools and resources it needs to better protect the public health of America’s and Delaware’s families. This bipartisan bill strengthens the system we currently have in place to oversee the safety of our food by providing FDA with new authority to help prevent food-borne illnesses and improve food safety and security. I am encouraged by the strong bipartisan nature of this bill, and I look forward to continuing to work on future bipartisan legislation as we gear up to start the 112th Congress.”
 
“I’m pleased to join my fellow Senators on a truly bipartisan basis to pass the Food Safety and Modernization Act,” said Sen. Coons. “This important bill provides the FDA with resources necessary to strike an agreeable balance between requiring tougher inspections and promoting prevention while not overly burdening small farmers and providers. Today’s vote demonstrates that this isn’t a Democratic or Republican issue, but one that can bring lawmakers together to better protect the health of Delawareans and Americans.”

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Delaware Delegation Statement in Support of Obama Administration Major Offshore Wind Announcement

WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), along with Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.) and Gov. Jack Markell (D-Del.), commended the Obama administration for its action to streamline and expedite the application process for offshore wind energy projects. Earlier today, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar launched a “Smart from the Start” wind energy initiative for the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf to better facilitate siting, leasing and construction of new projects, spurring the rapid and responsible development of this abundant renewable resource.

“I have strongly supported aggressively pursuing offshore wind energy projects off the coast of Delaware and across the country as a key tool to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and curb harmful air pollutants, while additionally creating good paying jobs and a reliable source of clean energy,” said Sen. Carper. “I often like to say if something isn’t perfect, make it better, and as we’ve found with the permitting process for Delaware’s Bluewater Wind to develop offshore wind energy off of Delaware’s coast, the current permitting process could be better. I have been urging the Administration to heed these lessons learned from the Bluewater Wind project and streamline the permitting process for offshore wind to encourage this emerging clean energy industry. With today’s announcement, the Administration is significantly improving the application process, sending a clear signal to investors and manufactures that offshore wind is an industry with a promising future, both in Delaware and up and down the Atlantic coast. Moving forward, I will continue my efforts to work with the Administration and my colleagues to support initiatives – such as common sense regulations, offshore wind tax credits, loan guarantees, and clean manufacturing incentives – that will support and strengthen this promising clean energy industry.”

“The new ‘Smart from the Start’ initiative is an important step toward both renewable energy adoption and new high-tech jobs for our region. 200 years ago the trade winds first brought commerce to this country, and today we’re harnessing those same trade winds to create green energy in Delaware and along the Atlantic Coast, an investment that will play a central role in our continuing economy recovery,” said Sen. Coons. “Secretary Salazar, Director Bromwich, and the hardworking public servants at the Interior and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management deserve credit for making Delaware, and the rest of the Atlantic Coast, a launch pad for green jobs. Thanks to this ‘Smart from the Start’ initiative, there will be fewer hurdles and less red tape for companies to tap into a natural resource we have in abundance – wind.”

“I am pleased we were able to convey lessons learned from the Bluewater Wind project to the Administration, and I commend Secretary Salazar for his leadership in recognizing redundancy in the system and for his commitment to ensure that our competitive offshore wind leasing program is facilitated without further delay,” said Rep. Mike Castle. “Now is the time to capitalize on efficiently developing this rapidly growing source of clean, domestic, and reliable power for Delaware and the nation, which is critical for energy independence, the environment, and new job growth. I am pleased to have been able to work so closely with the Secretary, the entire Delaware delegation, and Bluewater Wind to help make Delaware’s offshore wind project a reality.”

“Offshore wind should be an important part of our nation’s energy future. It’s encouraging to see the Department put its energy into this effort, which should reduce the time it takes to make offshore wind’s incredible potential into a reality,” said Gov. Markell.

Understanding the clean air and economic benefits offshore wind energy could provide the state of Delaware and our nation, the Delaware delegation has worked to encourage the development of offshore wind energy, particularly the Bluewater Wind offshore wind energy project off the coast of Delaware. 

For more information on the Administration’s renewable energy cultivation efforts, please visit http://www.boemre.gov/offshore/RenewableEnergy/index.htm. 

Senator Coons Co-sponsors James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2009

WASHINGTON – Yesterday, Sen. Christopher Coons (D-Del.) joined eight of his Senate colleagues in co-sponsoring the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2009, which provides federal funding for the medical monitoring and treatment for World Trade Center responders and survivors who were exposed to toxins at Ground Zero.

Numerous studies have shown that many first responders and survivors of the attack on September 11, 2001, have struggled with health problems such as lower and upper respiratory, gastrointestinal and mental health conditions.

“We have a duty to care for and honor the thousands of heroic men and women who were first on the scene after the World Trade Center attack,” said Sen. Coons (D-Del). “I’ve been an advocate for ensuring Delaware and the nation’s first responders receive the medical attention that they need and I strongly encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to continue providing much needed medical treatment to thousands of Americans who risked their lives in service of others by supporting this critical legislation.”

The bill establishes the World Trade Center Health Program, allowing for the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to provide medical monitoring and treatment for WTC responders in the New York area, as well as responders from outside the area who assisted in the aftermath, including 61 Delawareans who could potentially benefit from this legislation. The bill will also expand access in the responder medical monitoring and treatment program to 15,000 additional participants, which is currently capped at 40,000, and reopen the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) until December 22, 2031, to provide compensation for economic damages who didn’t file before or became ill after the original December, 22, 2003 deadline.

The bill, which was first introduced in the House by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), passed the House of Representatives on September 29, 2010. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is the leading Senator on the bill.

This is Sen. Coons’ first co-sponsorship since being sworn-in on Monday, November 15, 2010.

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Sens. Carper and Coons Statements on Perdue AgriBusiness Relocation to Delaware

DOVER, Del. – Today, Sens. Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) issued the following statements in response to the announcement that Perdue AgriBusiness, a subsidiary of Perdue Incorporated, will relocate its corporate headquarters and trading operations center to Seaford, Delaware:
 
“The Markell administration’s announcement today is wonderful news for Delaware and for Sussex County,” said Sen. Carper. “We have a long-standing relationship with Perdue through their current facilities and many growers in Delaware, and are pleased they have chosen to move their AgriBusiness headquarters to Seaford. They will be in great company in Sussex County, joining Allen Family Foods and Mountaire Farms. Their move will bring jobs to Sussex County and help continue to strengthen Delaware’s agriculture community. We are happy to officially welcome Perdue to our Delaware family.” 
 
“I welcome Perdue’s decision to move their AgriBusiness headquarters and trading operations center to Seaford,” said Sen. Coons. “This relocation is great news and will enhance our agriculture sector and add more support for the community of farmers and businesses that already call Delaware home. I am very encouraged by Perdue’s decision to further invest in Delaware’s poultry industry, continuing to prove that the First State really is a great place for business.” 

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