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Maine, Vermont AGs Join Push For Better Asbestos Reporting

Attorneys general from Maine and Vermont are joining 13 colleagues in other jurisdictions to call on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to tighten rules about reporting of the presence of asbestos.

Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey says the coalitions wants EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler to start a rulemaking process that results in elimination of exemptions for asbestos in the current chemical data reporting guidelines.

The attorneys general say the EPA won't be able to comply with the Toxic Substances Control Act requirement to prevent unreasonable health risks if it doesn't require adequate reporting. Asbestos is a carcinogen linked to diseases including mesothelioma and lung cancer.

The coalition's led by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey. It includes 14 states and the District of Columbia.