Blogs

The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology will hold a hearing on February 5, 2025, on “The State of U.S. Science and Technology: Ensuring U.S. Global Leadership.” According to the Hearing Charter, the purpose of the hearing is “to assess the current condition of the United States’s science and technology enterprise and its vital role in the global innovation race.” By examining public and private investments in the United States, the Committee will also...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on January 31, 2025, that it is extending the public comment period on the draft risk evaluation for 1,3-butadiene under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). 90 Fed. Reg. 8798. Comments that were due February 3, 2025, are now due March 5, 2025. EPA states in its announcement that to give the peer reviewers on the Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC) time to review any additional comments...

The March 1, 2025, deadline for all establishments, foreign and domestic, that produce pesticides, devices, or active ingredients to file their annual production for the 2024 reporting year is fast approaching. Pursuant to Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Section 7(c)(1) (7 U.S.C. § 136e(c)(1)), “Any producer operating an establishment registered under [Section 7] shall inform the Administrator within 30 days after it is registered of the types and amounts of...

The European Commission (EC) announced on January 29, 2025, that it launched a Biotech and Biomanufacturing Hub to support companies — particularly start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) — in bringing innovative products to the European Union (EU) market and increase their competitiveness. According to the EC, the Hub will also help companies identify available support at the EU level and how to access this support to help them expand and grow. The EC...

On January 28, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Act (EPA) issued a final rule delaying the effective date of four rules, including the December 17, 2024, final risk management rule for trichloroethylene (TCE) issued under Section 6(a) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), until March 21, 2025. 90 Fed. Reg. 8254. EPA states that it is delaying the effective dates of the rules in response to President Trump’s January 20, 2025, memorandum entitled “Regulatory...

On January 16, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a compliance guide to assist the regulated community in complying with Workplace Chemical Protection Program (WCPP) requirements for chemicals regulated under Section 6 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). EPA states that a WCPP “is a chemical protection program designed to address unreasonable risk posed by chemical exposure to persons in occupational settings.” The compliance guide provides an overview of...

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office’s (BETO) Chemical Catalysis for Bioenergy Consortium (ChemCatBio) will hold a webinar on January 29, 2025, on programmable catalysis for chemical energy technology. ChemCatBio states that catalysis enables new frontiers in energy, such as converting biomass to high-value products and storing energy from abundant renewable energy. Challenges remain, however, when catalysts are slow, expensive, or produce too many side...

On January 17, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its new MyPest tracking system to provide transparency and visibility into the real-time status of pesticide submissions. MyPest is a web-based system that tracks a registrant’s pesticide applications and products after submission via EPA’s Central Data Exchange (CDX). MyPest allows users to view and communicate with the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) regarding their pesticide products and pending applications....

On January 17, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of the latest Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Inventory. The TSCA Inventory lists all existing chemical substances manufactured, processed, or imported in the United States under TSCA that do not otherwise qualify for an exemption or exclusion. EPA states that “[t]his biannual update to the public TSCA Inventory is part of EPA’s regular posting of non-confidential TSCA Inventory data.” EPA plans...

In a development no one could have predicted several weeks ago, the first hearing of the 119th Congress in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce (E&C) focused on the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and amendments to TSCA that were enacted more than eight years ago. The E&C Subcommittee on Environment (the Subcommittee) hearing on January 22, 2025, “A Decade Later: Assessing the Legacy and Impact of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for...