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The American Bar Association’s (ABA) Section on Environment, Energy, and Resources (SEER) has issued five white papers designed to assist stakeholders in the ongoing debate to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The papers are on the following TSCA-related topics: The papers offer analysis of how TSCA reform may move forward in a way that addresses the myriad of considerations of existing case law, state laws and regulations, and federal legislation. ABA SEER leadership...

The Acta Group, L.L.C. (Acta), a regulatory consulting firm with offices in the U.S., UK, and China, and Sustainable Health, Environment, and Safety Chemical Consulting (SHES) of South Korea announced today the formation of a new strategic alliance. By joining Acta’s exceptional capabilities in China, Europe, and the Americas with SHES’ broad experience in South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and South Asia, the Acta-SHES alliance offers clients expanded, seamless access to a...

On March 7, 2014, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) released a pre-regulatory proposal for a potential draft regulation amending Proposition 65 regulations. Significantly — and likely controversially — the proposal seeks changes to the warning requirements to require more detailed information, including the names of the chemicals covered by individual warnings, the ways that individuals are exposed to these chemicals, and how individuals can avoid or reduce...

On Feb. 7, 2014, EPA issued a final rule under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act authorizing the use of electronic hazardous waste manifests. The final rule will have immediate implications for virtually all domestic manufacturers of hazardous waste. This column explains why....

The 4th Safer Consumer Products Summit, the only national conference of its kind, will provide the most up-to-date information available on California’s implementation of the Safer Consumer Products Regulations (SCPR), the most expansive Green Chemistry law in the world, drill down on the rapidly evolving state and international consumer safety regulatory landscape, and discuss the latest developments in legislative efforts to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act. Jim Jones, the...

On March 26, 2014, SAFENANO announced that the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) published a report entitled Human health and environmental exposure assessment and risk characterization of nanomaterials: Best practice for REACH registrants....

Kathleen M. Roberts was quoted in an article in Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report titled “Manufacturers Urge EPA to Apply TSCA Consistently in Final Rules for Six Mixtures.” “Chemical manufacturers are urging the Environmental Protection Agency to apply Toxic Substances Control Act policies consistently to both biobased and petroleum-based chemical mixtures as it finalizes a proposed rule that would restrict uses of six chemicals designed for renewable fuels. ‘The...

On Jan. 3, 2014, a federal working group created by Executive Order 13650 issued a set of preliminary options intended to improve chemical plant security. This is a hot topic likely to command considerable attention in the New Year....

According to the study, Impact of REACH on SMEs in the Netherlands, commissioned by the Dutch Ministry for Infrastructure and the Environment, 23% of SMEs belonging to the chemical industry are not aware that they do, in fact, have obligations under REACH. A company does not need to be an SME, however, to have the false impression that it has no obligations under REACH. This article outlines frequent misconceptions regarding REACH obligations and provides guidance...

On March 7, 2014, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) posted a report entitled Ecotoxicology and Environmental Fate of Manufactured Nanomaterials: Test Guidelines, which provides a report of the discussion and recommendations from the January 2013 expert meeting on ecotoxicology and environmental fate....