My new bill to protect infants and toddlers

Dear Neighbors,

I held a press conference this week in Perth Amboy to announce the introduction of the Improving Newborns’ Food and Nutrition Testing Safety (INFANTS) Act to protect the health and safety of infants and toddlers. The bill would require finished baby food products to be tested for toxic heavy metals and other contaminants. It would help establish precautionary measures to prevent infant formula shortages in the future. In 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) closed a facility due to contaminated products and poor factory conditions, leading to a nationwide formula shortage.

I introduced the bill because there is currently no federal mandate for FDA to require manufacturers to test finished baby food products for contaminants like heavy metals, including lead, cadmium, and mercury. Parents should not have to worry about whether the food they buy for their children is contaminated with bacteria, lead, or another toxic heavy metal. In just the last few months, we have read frightening reports about contaminated applesauce leading to potential lead poisoning in dozens of children.

Additionally, federal law does not require powdered infant formula manufacturers to have a regular environmental monitoring for powdered infant formula’s exposure to Cronobacter and salmonella. Tragically, the two bacteria have caused illness and death after being found in infant formula, which in one instance led to a nationwide infant formula crisis in 2022. Read more here

EPA’s Actions to Curb Dangerous Methane Pollution

During a hearing this week in my Energy and Commerce Committee, I spoke about the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) actions to address methane pollution from the oil and gas industry. These actions are critical to protecting the health of our communities, fighting the worsening climate crisis, creating jobs, driving innovation, and delivering clean, affordable, and reliable energy to American families. EPA’s methane policies are long overdue. They are in line with the statutory requirements of the Clean Air Act and complement the historic climate investments Democrats delivered with the Inflation Reduction Act.

Methane is a potent climate-disrupting greenhouse gas that is responsible for about one-third of the warming we are facing today. And at a time when our nation is experiencing a $1 billion or more extreme weather event every three weeks, it is critical that we reduce greenhouse gas emissions like methane to tackle this climate crisis.

This week, EPA announced a new rule to tackle wasteful methane emissions from the oil and gas sector. The proposed rule will assess a charge on large emitters of methane from the oil and gas sector that exceed emissions intensity levels set by Congress. For too long it has been cheaper for oil and gas operators to waste methane rather than make the necessary upgrades to prevent leaks and flaring. Wasted methane never makes its way to consumers, but they are nevertheless stuck with the bill.

The new rule will ensure consumers no longer pay for wasted energy or the harm its emissions can cause. I commend EPA for taking the next step to hold the largest polluters accountable and protect American families from dangerous methane pollution.

Under the Clean Air Act, EPA has a responsibility and obligation to protect Americans from this dangerous climate pollution. That is why actions to dramatically curb methane by Congressional Democrats and the Biden Administration are so important. Read more here

Click here to visit my website or call my offices directly if you have questions or need help with a federal agency:

Middlesex County: 732-249-8892

Monmouth County: 732-571-1140

Sincerely,

Congressman Pallone