June 21, 2023

Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., and Todd J. Stedeford, Ph.D., DABT® , ERT, ATS, “What are the key elements and likely impact of the EPA’s proposed rule for methylene chloride?,” Chemical Watch, June 21, 2023.

On 20 April the US EPA announced a proposed rule under section 6(a) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that would prohibit most uses of methylene chloride and require a workplace chemical protection program (WCPP) for non-prohibited uses. This article will outline the key elements of the EPA’s proposal and discuss the likely impact on industry. This article also looks at what this portends for the agency's future rulemaking activities on chemical substances undergoing...
June 20, 2023

EPA Proposes SNURs for 18 Chemicals Made from Plastic Waste-Based Feedstocks

On June 20, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed significant new use rules (SNUR) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for 18 chemicals that were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMN) and are also subject to an order issued by EPA pursuant to TSCA. 88 Fed. Reg. 39804. The SNURs would require persons who intend to manufacture (defined by statute to include import) or process any of these chemical substances for an activity that is proposed as a...
June 16, 2023

EPA Proposes to Ban Most Uses of PCE and Establish a WCPP for Uses Not Prohibited

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed on June 16, 2023, to ban most uses of perchloroethylene (PCE). 88 Fed. Reg. 39652. According to EPA’s June 8, 2023, press release, the proposed rule “would protect people from these risks by banning all consumer uses while allowing for many industrial/commercial uses to continue only where strict workplace controls could be implemented, including uses related to national security, aviation and other critical infrastructure,...
June 15, 2023

Registration Now Open for “Preparing a PFAS Game Plan in the U.S., the UK, and the EU” Webinar

July 11, 202310:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. (EDT)4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. (CEST)REGISTER NOW Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are attracting global legal, regulatory, commercial, and litigation attention as no other “emerging contaminant” has. Companies producing, processing, distributing, and/or using these substances must be aware of these global legal developments and take steps now to minimize legal, regulatory, and commercial risk.In the United States and globally, the number...
June 14, 2023

Lynn L. Bergeson Earns Highest Ranking in Chambers USA 2023

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) is pleased to announce that Managing Partner Lynn L. Bergeson has been awarded the highest rank attainable, Band 1, in Chambers USA Guide 2023. This is Ms. Bergeson’s 19th year earning top marks from Chambers USA as one of the best lawyers in America. Chambers quotes clients as saying Ms. Bergeson is “extremely well regarded,” “top-notch for her TSCA work,” “The best nationwide practitioner on product-related environmental regulations; a...
June 13, 2023

Speakers and Sessions Announced, Registration Open for “TSCA Reform — Seven Years Later” Virtual Conference, 8:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. EDT June 29, 2023

8:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. EDTJune 29, 2023 REGISTER NOW The full program, including session details and confirmed speakers for the 7th annual Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) conference, “TSCA Reform -- Seven Years Later,” is detailed below. This timely and essential day-long virtual conference will provide updates on risk evaluation, risk management, new chemical review, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and more.Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), the Environmental Law...
June 12, 2023

EPA Updates TSCA CBI Requirements

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published on June 7, 2023, a final rule with new and amended requirements concerning the assertion and treatment of confidential business information (CBI) claims for information reported to or otherwise obtained by EPA under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). 88 Fed. Reg. 37155. The final rule notes that amendments to TSCA in 2016 included many new provisions concerning the assertion, EPA review, and treatment of confidentiality claims....
June 9, 2023

Lynn L. Bergeson, “Toxics Release Inventory Reporting: What is New This Year?,” Chemical Processing, June 9, 2023.

Each year about this time, companies are focused on the deadline to submit Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Companies well acquainted with this reporting ritual have established protocols to collect the data to enable timely reporting. With the July 1, 2023, deadline rapidly approaching, there are a few new reporting features of which to be aware. This column briefly summarizes important new elements.
June 8, 2023

A Conversation with Shanisha Y. Smith, Esquire

Download transcript This week I had the pleasure of speaking with Shanisha Smith, Health, Safety, and Environmental (HSE) Counsel for LyondellBasell, about her role as counsel and the rewards and challenges of advising a major chemical producer on HSE legal and product stewardship issues. In our conversation, we learn about Shanisha’s beginnings not far from here on Maryland’s Eastern Shore to now living in Houston and counseling LyondellBasell’s, one of the world’s largest chemical...
June 7, 2023

Lynn L. Bergeson Quoted by Chemical Watch in Article “NGOs push for rare TSCA order to block Texas company’s plastic fluorination”

On June 5, 2023, Chemical Watch quoted Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), regarding a push from NGO's for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) to use for the first time its authority under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) section 5 to block a Texas-based company from using a plastic fluorination process that generates several types of long-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).  If the EPA were to make a 5(f)...