March 16, 2023

What is Product Stewardship’s Value to a Company? — A Conversation with Tina N. Armstrong, Ph.D.

Download transcript. This week, I sat down with Dr. Tina N. Armstrong, a Vice President with Arcadis U.S., Inc., to discuss the role of product stewardship in business organizations today. To those of us in this space, Tina is a rock star. In addition to her role as a business leader and scientist at Arcadis, Tina is a professor in product stewardship strategy and management at the Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health,...
March 16, 2023

EPA Proposes First-Ever National Drinking Water Standard for Six PFAS

On March 14, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it will propose the first-ever national drinking water standard for six per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the latest action under EPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap. The proposed National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) would regulate perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) as individual contaminants and will regulate four other PFAS —...
March 8, 2023

Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton Chosen as Top Authors by JD Supra Readers

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) is pleased to announce that Managing Partner Lynn L. Bergeson and Regulatory Analyst Carla N. Hutton have been recognized in the 2023 JD Supra Readers Choice Awards as top authors in the Environment section. This is Ms. Bergeson’s seventh Readers Choice award, which recognizes the most-read and -shared articles posted on JD Supra, a legal news service, and Ms. Hutton’s first. B&C’s monthly “Wrap-Up of Federal and State Chemical...
March 2, 2023

Register Now for the “Extended Producer Responsibility” Webinar

March 22, 202312:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. EDT REGISTER NOW Rooted in the circular economy concept and the “polluter pays” principle, extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws have a long tradition in Europe for many product categories, including packaging. In the United States, EPR is much newer and is viewed as a funding mechanism to support recycling programs by shifting the responsibility to pay for these programs from municipal, public sources to private, product producer...
March 2, 2023

Product Stewardship, Supply Chain, and Downstream User Engagement — A Conversation with Catherine M. Croke, DBA

Download transcript. This week, I had the pleasure of catching up with Dr. Catherine M. Croke, B&C’s and our consulting affiliate’s, The Acta Group, new Director of Product Stewardship and Regulatory Affairs. Catherine joined us recently from Evonik Corporation, where she was Senior Advocacy and Compliance Manager. Catherine’s diverse and truly extraordinary background working for industrial chemical companies in a variety of science, business, and advocacy roles have made...
March 2, 2023

EPA Holds Third and Final TSCA Engineering Initiative Webinar

On February 28, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) New Chemicals Program held the third and final webinar in its series on EPA’s process for assessing the potential risks of new chemicals under Section 5 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the types of data EPA considers in this assessment. The webinar covered commonly missed information in Section 5 submissions and how EPA evaluates environmental release information for operations that occur at...
March 1, 2023

EPA Releases Proposed Approach for Considering Cumulative Risks under TSCA

On February 27, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of and solicited public comment on two draft documents that are being submitted to the Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC) for peer review: “Draft Proposed Principles of Cumulative Risk Assessment under the Toxic Substances Control Act” (draft proposed principles) and “Draft Proposed Approach for Cumulative Risk Assessment of High-Priority Phthalates and a Manufacturer-Requested...
February 24, 2023

B&C Launches PFAS News and Information Site for Industry Stakeholders; Will Hold PFAS Webinar May 17, 2023

Washington D.C. law firm Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) has launched the PFAS News and Information web page. Continuing B&C’s tradition of providing reliable information and analysis of the most pressing chemical issues of the day, this web page provides constantly updated resources to help those in the chemicals and chemical products industries understand what they need to know about per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) developments and what it means to their...
February 24, 2023

GAO Report Finds Workforce Planning Gaps Contributed to EPA’s Missed TSCA Deadlines

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on February 23, 2023, entitled “EPA Chemical Reviews: Workforce Planning Gaps Contributed to Missed Deadlines.” GAO evaluated the extent to which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) met selected Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) deadlines for reviewing existing and new chemicals since June 2016, and to which EPA engaged in workforce planning for implementing its chemical review responsibilities. GAO identified...
February 17, 2023

Maine Proposes Rule to Clarify Reporting Requirements for PFAS in Products

On February 14, 2023, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (MDEP) announced a much anticipated proposed rule intended to provide additional guidance on the notification requirements and sales prohibitions for products and product components containing intentionally added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). MDEP will hold a public hearing on April 20, 2023. Comments are due May 19, 2023, by 5:00 p.m. (EDT). Background Maine enacted “An Act To...