Blogs

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on October 9, 2025, that it is beginning a 30-day comment period on its 2024 final risk management rule for carbon tetrachloride (CTC). 90 Fed. Reg. 48203. As reported in our January 13, 2025, memorandum, EPA published the final rule on December 11, 2024. After the final rule was published, several legal challenges were filed and then consolidated in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. EPA states that it “has since...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on October 10, 2025, that it eliminated “an extensive backlog of notifications received from companies regarding chemical risks that needed review and routing across the agency.” Section 8(e) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) requires chemical manufacturers, importers, processers, and distributors to report to EPA any information that indicates their chemical may pose substantial risk to human health or the environment. EPA...

The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) has posted a Public Involvement Plan (PIP) for implementing the Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Protection Act (HB 212). Effective October 8, 2025, the PIP provides public participation opportunities and information needed for the community to engage in rulemaking, enforcement, and policy development under the Act. The PIP also identifies information about affected communities and resources needed by NMED to incorporate public participation...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on October 7, 2025, the addition of a per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) to the list of chemicals covered by the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). EPA added sodium perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHxS-Na) to the TRI list pursuant to the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). EPA states that the addition is due to EPA issuing a final toxicity value in 2025 entitled “IRIS Toxicological Review of Perfluorohexanesulfonic...

On October 2, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report entitled Lessons Learned from Prior Oversight Related to the EPA’s Rulemaking. According to the report, OIG initiated the project to describe the lessons identified from select EPA OIG and U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports to help inform EPA’s future rulemaking efforts. OIG states that it reviewed 17 reports and identified five lessons from these prior...

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has published a September 2025 document entitled Guidance Document on Assessing the Apparent Accumulation Potential of Nanomaterials. The document is intended to provide specific advice on how to conduct bioaccumulation tests in fish with nanomaterials following Test Guideline (TG) 305 (OECD 2012), once it has been decided that such a fish test is needed. The purpose is to offer guidance on the critical points indicated in the...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced on September 29, 2025, that it determined that MON 95379 Lepidopteran-Protected Maize (corn), which was developed using genetic engineering to produce two insecticidal proteins to protect against feeding damage caused by target lepidopteran pests, is no longer considered regulated. 90 Fed. Reg. 46546. APHIS states that its determination is based on its evaluation of information and data...

The American Chemical Society (ACS) has begun accepting nominations for the 2026 Green Chemistry Challenge Awards. The awards are intended to promote the environmental and economic benefits of developing and using novel green chemistry. They recognize novel green chemistry technologies that reduce or eliminate the use of hazardous substances, use less energy and water, and improve the sustainability of products while demonstrating economic benefits. Although the awards were established in 1996...

On September 4, 2025, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published the Trump Administration’s Spring 2025 Unified Agenda. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Unified Agenda includes the following Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) rulemakings: Regaining Lost Efficiencies for Products of Biotechnology: According to the Unified Agenda item, this interim rule will create exemptions from USDA’s regulations for plants and microbes that are already subject to U.S....

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced on September 4, 2025, that it determined that ISK-311NR-4 phalaenopsis (moth orchid), which was developed using genetic engineering to produce a blue-purple flower color, is no longer considered regulated. 90 Fed. Reg. 42737. APHIS states that its determination is based on its evaluation of information and data Ishihara Sangyo Kaisha, Limited submitted in its petition for a determination of...