After roughly one month, California Sen. Michael Rubio dropped his request of Gov. Jerry Brown to delay implementation of the state's law to regulate toxic chemicals in consumer goods. In a letter to the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, Rubio and six other lawmakers said they were satisfied with the department's plan to study the law's economic impact on regulated industries.

"We applaud your work on this important issue and look forward to working with you to protect all consumers in California, as well as our state's economic future," the letter said.

The state's Green Chemistry initiative, passed by the Legislature in 2008, has been delayed about two years. Environmentalists say the initiative is important to protect the public and the environment from toxins, while critics fear its impact on business. In fact, the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) went on the record with concerns and numerous shortcomings associated with the regulations.

Rubio has had a difficult relationship with environmentalists, only exacerbated since Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, announced this fall that Rubio would be chairman of the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality. The Central Valley Democrat was behind a controversial, failed effort this year to overhaul the California Environmental Quality Act.