AlexK100 / CC by 2.0

The long-awaited Senate and House versions of the new Toxic Substances Control Act—which is intended to improve the way that hazardous substances are tested and regulated in the U.S.—have just been released. PETA's Regulatory Testing Division has been working tirelessly for years to make sure that animal testing is minimized in this bill.

For the past 30-plus years, chemicals have been tested on millions of animals—with very little to show for it. Reliance on animal-testing results―which have been shown to be largely irrelevant to human health effects―has contributed to the ineffectiveness of past legislation in protecting humans and the environment from hazardous chemicals. Fortunately, recent advances in science and technology allow for more useful information to be gathered without extensive animal testing, and incorporation of these new approaches should be the foundation of any new legislation.

The newly introduced legislation incorporates a number of animal protection measures that we have been advocating, such as the following:

• Encouraging the use of non-animal methods. The draft bills fall short, however, in not requiring the use of existing non-animal methods.
• Using existing data on chemicals instead of repeatedly running them through the same battery of animal tests
• Avoiding explicit mention of specific animal tests, thus allowing for flexibility as scienceand new technologies advance
• Supporting and funding the development of new non-animal methods

While both versions of this bill are headed in the right direction, further elements need to be clarified to ensure that animal use is minimized and eventually eliminated, and we will be working hard to do just that.

Incorporating these measures into the bill will improve the efficiency, speed, and accuracy of the tests, while cutting costs, preventing an enormous amount of animal suffering, and vastly increasing the EPA's ability to protect humans and the environment.

Stand by for ways that you can help.

Written by Alisa Mullins

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jillclardy/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

Well, it's not the law of our dreams, but we're happy to report that one part of a bill that has just been passed in New York City (and maybe just the one part) should improve living conditions for horses who are used to pull carriages. Under the new legislation, carriage operators are required to provide horses with larger stalls in which they can finally turn around and lie down (the current stalls couldn't be smaller unless you built them through the horses' flanks) as well as to allow the horses to come off the roads and spend five weeks out of every year at a stable with a paddock or a pasture.

A hike in fares has also been enacted. It probably won't make a difference, but it might decrease the number of misguided tourists who want to take horses for a ride. After all, it's the animals who pay the ultimate price in this money-hungry industry: Horses are forced to pull heavy loads in all weather extremes while walking on hard pavement, dodging loud traffic, and inhaling exhaust fumes that cause damage to their lungs comparable to that which heavy smokers experience. Does that sound even remotely romantic to you?

Anyone who has seen or thought about this wretched excuse for amusement knows that it's past time for the horse-drawn carriage industry to be put out to pasture permanently. Tel Aviv has done it, and now it's time for New York to do it. Please join us in asking New York City officials to ban horse-drawn carriages as a blight on the city. Thanks!

Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth