Blogs

On June 27, 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced that it recently reviewed the following plants modified using genetic engineering to determine whether they posed an increased plant pest risk relative to non-modified comparators: Plants modified for altered product quality: CoverCress, two pennycresses; Hjelle Advisors, rice; and Toolgen, soybean; Plant modified for increased yield: Inari, two soybeans; Plant modified...

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is hosting the fully virtual 2024 Chemical Security Seminars on July 11 and 18, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. (EDT). The sessions will cover a range of topics related to the security of dangerous chemicals. The preliminary agenda includes: State of Chemical Security (Kelly Murray, Associate Director, CISA Chemical Security); Transnational Threats Impacting Chemical Security (Robert...

As reported in our July 27, 2023, memorandum, in July 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed an expansion of the Safer Choice and Design for the Environment (DfE) programs to include certification of additional product categories. According to EPA’s website, “EPA thanks the many commenters for their input. EPA reviewed the comments and understands several categories are of interest to stakeholders and Safer Choice partners. With the 2024 decrease in EPA’s funding,...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) seeks public input on procedures for the quantification, reporting, and verification of the effect of climate-smart farming practices on the greenhouse gas (GHG) net emissions estimates associated with the production of domestic (i.e., grown in the United States) agricultural commodities used as biofuel feedstocks. 89 Fed. Reg. 53585. According to USDA’ s June 27, 2024, notice, agricultural management practices that mitigate GHG emissions and/or...

On July 1, 2024, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) posted a NIOSH Science Blog item entitled “Celebrating 20 Years of the Nanotechnology Research Center: Highlights from Engineering Controls and Personal Protective Equipment,” part of a series commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Nanotechnology Research Center (NTRC). The item notes that NIOSH researchers “have conducted laboratory and field research to develop and implement science-based national...

The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) and the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) are convening a July 24, 2024, workshop, “Responsible Development, Social Science, and the National Nanotechnology Initiative: A Workshop to Explore Past and Future Intersections.” According to NNI, the workshop will bring together federal experts in nanotechnology with social scientists with expertise on specific tools and frameworks relevant to the responsible development of emerging...

On June 25, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the issuance of a final cancellation order for Corteva’s chlorpyrifos product “Dursban 50W in Water Soluble Packets” and three Gharda chlorpyrifos products, and an amendment to the existing stocks provisions for two Liberty and three Winfield chlorpyrifos end-use products. EPA also states that it has updated its frequently asked questions about chlorpyrifos. In a final rule issued in August 2021, EPA revoked all...

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) published a fact sheet on June 25, 2024, on the Biden-⁠Harris Administration’s actions to advance American biotechnology and biomanufacturing. According to the fact sheet, on June 25, 2024, the White House, members of the National Bioeconomy Board, and the U.S. Departments of Energy (DOE), Defense (DOD), and Agriculture (USDA) convened major biotechnology and biomanufacturing companies, nonprofits, and other stakeholders to...

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) recently noted that Health Risk Assessment scientists at MDH have published two articles in the Journal of Environmental Exposure Assessment related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): “A revised and improved toxicokinetic model to simulate serum concentrations of bioaccumulative PFAS”: According to MDH, the publication “presents an updated method to determine how PFAS accumulates in human bodies from birth through childhood.” “Per-...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.’s (B&C®) June 18, 2024, webinar, "There Is More to TSCA Reporting Than CDR: TSCA Sections 8(a), (c), (d), and (e)," is now available for on-demand viewing. During this one-hour webinar Dave Turk, Supervisor for the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Regulatory and Policy Branch, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT); Stephanie Griffin, Acting Supervisor of the Data Collection Branch, EPA OPPT; Richard E....