On June 28, 2019, a coalition of 11 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its failure to initiate an asbestos reporting rule under Section 8(a) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The complaint argues that EPA wrongfully denied the states’ January 31, 2019, petition, filed under TSCA Section 21, to issue a rule for the reporting of the...
July 2, 2019
EPA Extends Deadline to Submit Comments on Proposed Interim Registration Review Decision for Glyphosate
On June 26, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it was extending the comment deadline on its Proposed Interim Registration Review Decision (PID) for glyphosate acid and its various salt forms. 84 Fed. Reg. 30112. EPA states that it is extending the comment deadline “after receiving public comments requesting additional time to review the Glyphosate Proposed Interim Registration Review Decision and supporting materials.” The deadline to submit...
June 28, 2019
EC Requests Scientific Opinions on Hydroxyapatite (Nano) and Nano Copper and Colloidal Copper
On June 25, 2019, the European Commission’s (EC) Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) posted two requests for scientific opinions: hydroxyapatite (nano) and copper (nano) and colloidal copper (nano). According to the mandate for hydroxyapatite (nano), the EC received 17 notifications for cosmetic products containing hydroxyapatite in nano form. The EC states that according to the notifications, this ingredient is used in both leave-on and rinse-off dermal and...
On June 28, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the draft risk evaluations for cyclic aliphatic bromide cluster (HBCD) and 1,4-dioxane, two of the first ten chemicals undergoing risk evaluation under the amended Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). In its June 28, 2019, press release, EPA states in the draft risk evaluation for HBCD, it did not find unreasonable risk to the general population, consumers, workers, or the environment. According to EPA, in...
As reported in our June 28, 2019, memorandum, on June 24, 2019, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.(B&C®), the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), and the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health (GWU) presented “TSCA: Three Years Later,” a day-long conference with leading experts exploring the current impacts of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) on science policies, challenges faced by industry, and the impacts of TSCA on regulatory policies,...
Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) would like to thank all of the participants that made “TSCA: Three Years Later” such a success. Speakers, including Alexandra Dapolito Dunn, Assistant Administrator, OCSPP, EPA, and Lynn R. Goldman, M.D., M.S., M.P.H., Michael and Lori Milken Dean and Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health at Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, provided timely insights into EPA’s implementation of the...
By Lynn L. Bergeson On June 18, 2019, Neste, a Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group (BRAG®) member, and LyondellBassell announced the first commercial scale parallel production of biobased polypropylene and biobased low-density polyethylene. This project used Neste’s renewable hydrocarbons, derived from sustainable biobased raw materials, such as waste and residue oils, to produce food packaging bioplastics marked as Circulen and Circulen Plus by LyondellBasell. "We are...
June 28, 2019
California DTSC Hosts Public Workshop On 1,4-Dioxane
By Lynn L. Bergeson On June 28, 2019, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) will host the first public workshop on 1,4-Dioxane in Personal Care and Cleaning Products. 1,4-Dioxane, a solvent and stabilizer for chlorinated solvents, which is produced from both petroleum sources and from biobased ethylene oxide, has been identified by DTSC as a likely human carcinogen and an emerging contaminant found in beauty, personal care, hygiene, and cleaning products. DTSC is...
June 28, 2019
Cabinet To Review RFS Small Refinery Waiver Programs
By Lynn L. Bergeson On June 20, 2019, Reuters reported that President Trump directed members of his Cabinet to review EPA’s expanded use of waivers exempting small refineries from the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). This decision came after Trump traveled to the Midwest to promote the Administration’s decision to lift a ban on summer sales of E15 and farmers warned that increases in smaller refinery exemptions functionally negated the expected benefits of E15 sales. RFS has become...
June 28, 2019
Taxpayer Certainty And Disaster Tax Relief Act Of 2019 Introduced To House Ways And Means Subcommitt
By Lynn L. Bergeson On June 18, 2019, Representative Mike Thompson, (D-CA), Chair of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures, introduced the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2019. The bill includes: An extension of the $1-per-gallon tax credit for biodiesel and biodiesel mixtures; An extension of the small argi-biodiesel producer credit of 10 cents per gallon through 2020; An extension of the second generation biofuel producer credit...