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2022 will bring competing priorities for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for which companies should now prepare. Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) is pleased to present “What to Expect in Chemicals in 2022,” a webinar offering our best informed judgment as to the trends and key developments B&C’s legal, scientific, and regulatory professionals expect to see in 2022. These include consequential policy shifts reflecting the Biden Administration’s “all of...

The Biden Administration’s U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is laser focused on achieving several “whole-of-government” priorities: addressing climate change, identifying and giving environmental justice greater consideration in decision-making, and following the science wherever it may lead. Knowing and respecting leadership in the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) tasked with achieving these laudable yet daunting objectives, there is no question the...

On January 21, 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of and solicited public comments on the “Draft TSCA Screening Level Approach for Assessing Ambient Air and Water Exposures to Fenceline Communities Version 1.0” (screening level methodology). 87 Fed. Reg. 3294. EPA will use the screening level methodology to evaluate potential chemical exposures and associated potential risks to fenceline communities in its Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)...

On January 24, 2022, Chemical Watch quoted Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Director of Chemistry with Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), in the article "Proposal on the horizon to update TSCA confidentiality procedures." According to Richard Engler, director of chemistry at industry law firm Bergeson & Campbell and a 17-year veteran of the EPA, this could be aimed at ensuring the agency can get in touch with CBI claim holders.   "One of the challenges EPA...

The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) has long been considered the “poster child” of failure as a chemical control law when it comes to asbestos regulation. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in its latest approach to regulating “legacy” uses may well invite heightened scrutiny. The EPA announced in December the availability of the Draft Scope of the Risk Evaluation for Asbestos, Part 2. In it, the agency will evaluate conditions of use of asbestos were excluded from Part 1...

Download transcript Mathy Stanislaus was recently appointed as Vice Provost and Executive Director of Drexel University’s Environmental Collaboratory, which brings interdisciplinary expertise in environmental sciences, engineering, law, health, business, economics, policy, and humanities to co-design transformative environmental solutions in partnership with community leaders, nonprofits, corporations, and governments. He was formerly the Interim Director and  Director...

What to Expect in Chemicals in 2022 WEBINARJanuary 26, 202212:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. EST Register Now Momentous changes initiated in 2021 will continue to influence policy development and rulemakings in 2022. Administration appointments in political leadership positions have been filled. New policies and priorities have been unveiled, and with Democrats in control, a more encouraging attitude toward regulation and regulatory initiatives has taken root. Notwithstanding the emphasis...

On December 6, 2021, the United Kingdom’s (UK) Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, George Eustice, sent a letter to the Chemical Industries Association (CIA). The letter confirms that the government is exploring a new model for transitional UK REACH registrations -- the registrations under UK REACH of substances that were registered in the European Union (EU) in accordance with the EU’s Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals...

Download transcript This week I was delighted to sit down with Katherine Meighan, Associate Vice-President and General Counsel of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a United Nations agency headquartered in Rome, Italy. We spoke with Katie in the summer of 2019, after an International Bar Association (IBA) webinar on sustainable investment in agriculture I helped organize in my role as Vice Chair of the IBA Agricultural Law Section. I was so impressed with Katie’s...

2022 will bring competing priorities for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for which companies should now prepare. Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) is pleased to present “What to Expect in Chemicals in 2022,” a webinar offering our best informed judgment as to the trends and key developments B&C’s legal, scientific, and regulatory professionals expect to see in 2022. These include consequential policy shifts reflecting the Biden Administration’s “all of...

Click here for a PDF brochure of the memorandum. Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and its consulting affiliate The Acta Group (Acta®) and consortia management affiliate B&C® Consortia Management, L.L.C. (BCCM) are pleased to offer you our Forecast 2022. The extraordinary diversity and complexity of global industrial, agricultural, and biocidal chemical initiatives in which our clients engage are reflected in the detailed summary that follows, prepared by the legal,...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and its consulting affiliate The Acta Group (Acta®) and consortia management affiliate B&C® Consortia Management, L.L.C. (BCCM) are pleased to offer you our Forecast 2022. The extraordinary diversity and complexity of global industrial, agricultural, and biocidal chemical initiatives in which our clients engage are reflected in the detailed summary that follows, prepared by the legal, scientific, and regulatory professionals of B&C,...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on December 29, 2021, the availability of the Draft Scope of the Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2: Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos (Draft Scope). 86 Fed. Reg. 74088. In the Part 2 risk evaluation, EPA will evaluate the conditions of use of asbestos (including other types of asbestos fibers in addition to chrysotile) that EPA had excluded from Part 1 as legacy uses and...

On December 29, 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of a draft revision to the risk determination for the cyclic aliphatic bromide cluster (HBCD) risk evaluation issued under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). 86 Fed. Reg. 74082. EPA is reconsidering two key aspects of the risk determinations for HBCD. First, EPA proposes that the appropriate approach to these determinations under TSCA and implementing regulations is to make an unreasonable...

Download transcript This week I sat down with Dr. Richard E. Engler, B&C’s and The Acta Group’s (our consulting affiliate) Director of Chemistry, and Dr. Todd J. Stedeford, B&C’s Of Counsel, to discuss a range of issues regarding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) all important implementation of the Lautenberg amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Rich was a 17-year veteran of EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) before...

On December 20, 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the Draft Systematic Review Protocol Supporting TSCA Risk Evaluations for Chemical Substances (Draft Protocol) for public comment. 86 Fed. Reg. 71891. According to EPA’s press release, the Draft Protocol will strengthen EPA’s approach to reviewing and selecting the scientific studies that are used to inform Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) chemical risk evaluations and ensure that EPA has the...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) is pleased to announce that Managing Partner Lynn L. Bergeson has again been named one of North America’s leading legal practitioners by Who’s Who Legal – Environment. Ms. Bergeson’s recognition as a “Global Elite Thought Leader” by peers and clients notes: “Lynn Bergeson is renowned as ‘an excellent lawyer, particularly in chemical matters’. Her in-depth knowledge of risk assessment and liability management receives further...

On December 14, 2021, Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), and Christopher R. Blunck, Of Counsel, B&C, were quoted by Bloomberg Law regarding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recently released regulatory agenda that “anticipates the agency missing at least five of 10 deadlines the 2016 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) amendments set to restrict too-risky chemicals already on the U.S. market" and...

On December 13, 2021, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) issued a notice proposing modifications to the revisions it first proposed on January 8, 2021, to its Proposition 65 (Prop 65) Article 6 “clear and reasonable warnings” regulations for “short-form” warnings (Notice). More information regarding the January 8, 2021, proposal is available on our blog. OEHHA is requesting comments on its Notice and the modifications to the proposed...

On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed into law the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (H.R. 3684). The House passed the bill on November 5, 2021, by a vote of 228 to 206, and the Senate passed the bill on August 10, 2021, by a vote of 69 to 30. The bill provides a $1.2-trillion infusion of cash into the economy and contains many provisions important to the chemical processing sector. Highlighted below are some of the provisions in the 1,039-page bill that readers may find interesting.

On December 13, 2021, Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Director of Chemistry, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) was quoted by Bloomberg Law regarding a substantial decrease in chemical data being posted to the ChemView database by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) due to resource constraints. This information is used by the public, industry, and environmental groups to easily access health and safety information for hundreds of chemicals. Businesses might need the...

On December 13, 2021, Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Director of Chemistry, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) was quoted by Bloomberg Law regarding a substantial decrease in chemical data being posted to the ChemView database by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) due to resource constraints. This information is used by the public, industry, and environmental groups to easily access health and safety information for hundreds of chemicals. Businesses might need the...

On December 2, 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published an updated New Approach Methods (NAM) Work Plan (Updated Work Plan). EPA created the work plan to prioritize its efforts and resources toward activities that aim to reduce the use of vertebrate animal testing while continuing to protect human health and the environment. EPA describes its updated roadmap and identifies steps intended to reduce the use of vertebrate animals for toxicity testing and related research...

Download transcript This week I was delighted to sit down with Dr. Michal I. Freedhoff, Assistant Administrator, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), arguably the busiest person in Washington, D.C. Dr. Freedhoff is EPA’s top Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) official, and she also administers the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). Dr. Freedhoff discusses OCSPP’s priorities, plans for the new...

The environmental impacts of the digital economy are increasingly the focus of attention and concern. There is no question the demand for electricity, water and land have increased sharply in response to the growth in digital activity. Identifying, quantifying and mitigating environmental and ecological impacts are core to value creation, and investors must be mindful of how a company is positioned to create value while avoiding public rebuke for neglecting to account for the environmental...

On December 7, 2021, the House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittees on Environment and on Research and Technology held a joint hearing entitled “Forever Chemicals: Research and Development for Addressing the PFAS Problem.” Four witnesses spoke before the subcommittees on their respective knowledge of the current state of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and where each felt future actions should be focused: Dr. Elsie Sunderland, Gordon McKay Professor of...

On November 24, 2021, Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), and Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Director of Chemistry, B&C, were quoted by Bloomberg Law regarding planned increases for Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) fees.  Lynn L. Bergeson, managing partner, with Bergeson and Campbell PC, said EPA’s fee revisions will be the “main event” for companies to watch. Tuesday’s announcement appears to be the statute’s...

On November 24, 2021, Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), and Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Director of Chemistry, B&C, were quoted by Bloomberg Law regarding planned increases for Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) fees.  Lynn L. Bergeson, managing partner, with Bergeson and Campbell PC, said EPA’s fee revisions will be the “main event” for companies to watch. Tuesday’s announcement appears to be the statute’s...

On November 23, 2021, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) announced his intention to reintroduce the Protect America’s Children from Toxic Pesticides Act of 2021, that would amend the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) “to [protect fully] the safety of children and the environment, to remove dangerous pesticides from use, and for other purposes.” Similar legislation was introduced in the House (H.R. 7940) and Senate (S. 4406) in 2020, but the bills did not...

On November 23, 2021, Chemical Watch featured comments by Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Director of Chemistry, B&C, regarding a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plan to use Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) significant new use rules (SNUR) to address inactive per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). "The Snur authority is a de facto bar to manufacture/import," Lynn...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on October 21 that it intends to move further back the compliance dates related to articles containing phenol, isopropylated phosphate (3:1) (PIP (3:1)) to ensure supply chains for key consumer and commercial goods are not disrupted. The agency proposed extending the compliance date until October 31, 2024, along with the associated recordkeeping requirements for manufacturers, processors and distributors of PIP (3:1)-containing articles....

On November 8, 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (H.R. 3684) was presented to President Joseph Biden (D) for signature. The House passed the bill on November 5, 2021, by a vote of 228 to 206, and the Senate passed the bill on August 10, 2021, by a vote of 69 to 30. The bill contains many important provisions. We highlight below some of the provisions in the 1,039-page bill that we believe our clients and friends may find interesting. Pesticides Under the bill, the...

On November 11, 2021, James V. Aidala, Senior Government Affairs Consultant, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), was quoted by Inside EPA’s Inside TSCA regarding state regulations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). A former EPA toxics chief says Michigan’s new executive order limiting purchases of products made with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) not only expands a nationwide patchwork of state-level PFAS policies, but shows that the reformed...

Download transcript This week I sat down with Kurt M. Landgraf, former Chairman and CEO of DuPont Pharmaceuticals Company and most recently former President of Washington College located in Chestertown, Maryland. I have known Kurt for a number of years now, and I thought a conversation focusing on Kurt’s extraordinarily diverse background would be an interesting mix of pharmaceutical management issues, higher education, and Kurt’s observations on preparing students for careers in...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) is pleased to announce that FIFRA Tutor™ regulatory training courses are now available at www.FIFRAtutor.com. Professionals can preview and enroll in on-demand classes to complete at their own pace and timing. FIFRA Tutor joins B&C’s existing TSCA Tutor® training courses in offering efficient and essential training for chemical regulatory professionals, and a third training program, HazCom GHS Tutor, is planned...

On November 9, 2021, Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Director of Chemistry, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), was quoted by Chemical Watch regarding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) classification of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) for company-funded testing under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). According to Richard Engler, director of chemistry for law firm Bergeson & Campbell, the agency has "come down somewhere in the middle"...

The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change held a hearing on October 27, 2021, on “TSCA and Public Health: Fulfilling the Promise of the Lautenberg Act.” The October 25, 2021, briefing memorandum notes that the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (the Lautenberg Act) comprehensively amended the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), “including key reforms to increase [the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA)]...

David’s 1999 Paper on e-commerce and the environment Download transcript This week I sat down with David Rejeski, Visiting Scholar with the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), to learn more about his engagement in the Project on the Energy and Environmental Implications of the Digital Economy. With support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, ELI, the Yale School of the Environment, and the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment at UC Berkeley, the Project is shedding much-needed...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on October 21, 2021, that it is proposing to extend further the compliance dates related to articles containing phenol, isopropylated phosphate (3:1) (PIP (3:1)) to ensure supply chains for key consumer and commercial goods are not disrupted. As reported in our September 3, 2021, memorandum that addresses a September 17, 2021, final rule, EPA provided a short-term extension of certain compliance dates for PIP (3:1)...

On October 20, 2021, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing on “Evaluating the Federal Response to the Persistence and Impacts of PFAS Chemicals on our Environment.” The sole witness called before the Committee was the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water, Radhika Fox. The focus of the hearing was to address the recently released EPA Strategic Roadmap for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)....

On October 18, 2021, the Biden Administration announced a multi-agency plan to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination nationwide. According to the White House, agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Defense (DOD), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), will take actions to...

On July 13, 2021, Maine became the first state to enact Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation for packaging. On August 6, 2021, Oregon followed, enacting a similar EPR law applicable to packaging. Other states are poised to pass similar legislation. This article discusses the concept of EPR and summarizes the state legislation.

Download transcript All Things Chemical will reach our 3rd anniversary on October 23rd and we want to share this celebration with you. As we look back on the last three years I wanted to bring back an older episode from the summer of 2020, “Implementing Lautenberg — A Conversation with former OPPT Director Jeffery T. Morris, Ph.D.” During this episode I spoke with Jeff Morris about how the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics implemented Lautenberg back in 2016, and how TSCA can be...

On October 14, 2021, Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), was quoted by Bloomberg Law regarding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) plan to release a national strategy to reduce plastic waste, improve recycling, and boost the market for recycled goods. Ms. Bergeson discussed these issues during the "Moving Towards “Cradle-to-Cradle”: Regulatory Drivers and Barriers in Reducing Waste and Achieving Sustainable...

On September 14, 2021, the United Nations (UN) published an electronic version of the ninth revised edition (Rev 9) of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) available for free for consultation purposes. The amendments to the eighth revision of the GHS (Rev 8) include extensive revision of Chapter 2.1 (explosives) to address explosion hazard determination better when explosives are not in transit; the revision of decision logic; the revision of...

On October 7, 2021, Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Director of Chemistry, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), was quoted by Chemical Watch in the article “TSCA new chemicals review process has ground to a halt, say industry groups.” The TSCA new chemicals review process has "slowed dramatically" over the past year, according to trade groups and industry attorneys, a development they say poses a threat to innovation and the introduction of sustainable chemicals. […] "The...

On October 7, 2021, Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Director of Chemistry, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), was quoted by Chemical Watch in the article “TSCA new chemicals review process has ground to a halt, say industry groups.” The TSCA new chemicals review process has "slowed dramatically" over the past year, according to trade groups and industry attorneys, a development they say poses a threat to innovation and the introduction of sustainable chemicals. […] "The...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.’s (B&C®) All Things Chemical® podcast is celebrating three years of great conversations by offering listeners a chance to win audio-technica headphones, a wireless charging pad from Anker, books authored by us, and regulatory training courses. Help us celebrate this milestone by sending your dream guest or topic choices to podcast@lawbc.com, with the subject line “All Things Chemical,” and we may use them for future episodes! Submit your...

The United Kingdom (UK) Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has published a UK REACH: Grandfathered Registrations Notified Substances List. According to an item in the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) October 1, 2021, UK REACH eBulletin, the list contains the names and Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS)/European Community (EC) numbers for substances taken from notifications made under UK REACH Article 127B(4)(a). Article 127B(4)(a) required registrants of a...

On 13 July 2021, Maine became the first state in the US to enact extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation for packaging. Quickly thereafter, on 6 August, Oregon became the second state to enact a similar EPR law applicable to packaging. Other states are poised to enact similar legislation, following trends more mature in the European Union (EU) and elsewhere around the world.