Blogs

On December 27, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released for comment a proposed plan to track the adoption of bilingual labeling of pesticide products. 90 Fed. Reg. 99. The Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of 2022 (PRIA 5) amended the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to require Spanish language translation of the health and safety sections of end-use pesticide product labels on a rolling schedule that begins in December 2025 and ends...

On December 31, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of and solicited comment on the preliminary lists of manufacturers (including importers) subject to fees for the next five chemicals undergoing risk evaluation under Section 6(b) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). 89 Fed. Reg. 107099. The five chemicals that have been designated as High-Priority Substances (HPS) for risk evaluation and for which fees will be charged are acetaldehyde (Chemical...

On December 19, 2024, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) announced the availability of the Federal Sustainable Chemistry Strategic Plan (Strategic Plan). As reported in our January 19, 2021, memorandum, Subtitle E of TII of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (NDAA for FY2021) includes the text of the bipartisan Sustainable Chemistry Research and Development Act of 2019. Subtitle E establishes an interagency working group led by OSTP...

As reported in our December 5, 2024, blog item, on December 4, 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced that it acknowledges the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California’s December 2, 2024, ruling prospectively vacating USDA’s May 2020 final rule for organisms developed using genetic engineering. National Family Farm Coalition, et al. v. Vilsack (No. 3:21-cv-05695-JD). As reported in our May 18, 2020,...

On December 26, 2024, the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) filed notice in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that they are appealing the court’s December 11, 2024, decision dismissing their suit to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. As reported in our December 17, 2024, blog item, the court dismissed a suit filed against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency...

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced on December 16, 2024, its intent to fund research and development (R&D) projects in two priority areas, sustainable propane and renewable chemicals, and algal system cultivation and preprocessing: The SPARC and MASY funding opportunities support government-wide targets of DOE’s Clean Fuels and Products ShotTM and Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge. They also align with BETO’s strategic goals to...

On December 18, 2024, the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) announced the availability of the National Nanotechnology Initiative Environmental, Health, and Safety Research Strategy: 2024 Update. Prepared by the Nanotechnology Environmental and Health Implications (NEHI) Working Group within the Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology (NSET) Subcommittee of the National Science and Technology Council, the 2024 update builds on the initial 2011 strategy, laying out a comprehensive,...

The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBCS), an agency of the Rural Development mission area within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), issued a final rule on December 9, 2024, that adopts changes from the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill) that apply to the Biobased Markets (BioPreferred) Program. 89 Fed. Reg. 97459. RBCS notes that these changes include the merger of the Guidelines for Designating Biobased Products for Federal Procurement and the Voluntary Labeling...

The European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) announced on December 4, 2024, the availability of the European Chemical Agency’s (ECHA) Second interim evaluation of the European Union Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON). Prepared by WSP acting as a third-party evaluator, the interim evaluation assesses EUON against six criteria: effectiveness; efficiency (including economy and proportionality); relevance; coherence; EU-added value; and utility. WSP’s recommendations include:...

Register now to join Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) for “What to Expect When You Don’t Know What to Expect in Chemicals Policy and Regulation and on Capitol Hill in 2025,” a complimentary webinar offering our best-informed judgment as to the trends and key developments chemical industry stakeholders can expect in 2025. The return of President-elect Trump for a second term instantly raises important questions: will the Senate defer some of its traditional roles as a...