October 26, 2020

Lynn L. Bergeson, “Pandemic Spurs Enforcement Revisions,” Chemical Processing, October 26, 2020.

The White House Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) issued memorandum M-20-31 on August 31, 2020, on the implementation of Section 6 of Executive Order (EO) 13924, “Executive Order on Regulatory Relief to Support Economic Recovery.” This article explains the guidance, why it may prove useful to know about its content, and how to leverage the guidance successfully in future enforcement actions and adjudications.
October 26, 2020

UK REACH Statutory Instrument Laid before Parliament

The transition period for the United Kingdom’s (UK) exit from the European Union (EU) will end on December 31, 2020. At the end of the transition period, the EU Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation will be brought into UK law under the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 as amended by the European Union (Withdrawal) Agreement 2020. The UK intends to replicate EU REACH, and related legislation, with the necessary changes to make it...
October 22, 2020

EPA Provides Expedited Pathway for Companies to Claim “Long-Lasting” Efficacy for Antiviral Products

On October 14, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a much-anticipated draft guidance that is intended to help companies demonstrate to EPA that their products have “long-lasting” or “residual” effectiveness on surfaces against viruses like SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. EPA has not before now provided guidance on how stakeholders can demonstrate to EPA’s satisfaction that their product remains efficacious for periods of time given...
October 21, 2020

Final Rule Intended to Promote Transparency in Developing EPA Regulatory Guidance Documents Will Take Effect in November

On October 19, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a final rule establishing the procedures and requirements for how EPA will manage the issuance of guidance documents consistent with Executive Order (EO) 13891, “Promoting the Rule of Law Through Improved Agency Guidance Documents.” 85 Fed. Reg. 66230. The final regulation provides a definition of guidance document for the purposes of this rule, establishes general requirements and procedures for certain...
October 16, 2020

China Publishes Draft Law on Safety of Hazardous Chemicals

The Chinese Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) released the “Law on Safety of Hazardous Chemicals (Draft for Consultation)” (LSHC) on October 2, 2020, to replace the “Regulations on Safe Management of Hazardous Chemicals” (Decree No. 591). The deadline to submit comments to MEM regarding the LSHC is November 1, 2020. Comments can be submitted to MEM via e-mail (yjbzfs@163.com). What Is New? The draft LSHC was first introduced in 2017. This draft revision will replace the...
October 15, 2020

How EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs Is Handling COVID-19 — A Conversation with Lisa Campbell

This week, I sat down with Lisa Campbell, my Partner here at Bergeson & Campbell (B&C®) and its consulting affiliate, The Acta Group (Acta®), and a well-recognized expert on all things regulated under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).  With so much attention focused on registering new products to combat COVID-19, we thought it timely to check in again with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) and see what...
October 14, 2020

Lisa M. Campbell Quoted in Chemical Watch Article “California Company Sues US EPA Over Cleaning Wipes Confiscation”

On October 14, 2020, comments by Lisa M. Campbell, Partner, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), were featured by Chemical Watch in an article regarding a recent lawsuit filed against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Zuru, the importer of a seized shipment of wipes, claims that the confiscated cleaning wipes “do not fall under FIFRA because they are neither labelled nor advertised as a pesticide and make no claims about disinfecting.” Lisa Campbell, a...
October 5, 2020

Career Opportunity: Pesticide Regulatory Consultant

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and its consulting affiliate, The Acta Group, LLC (Acta®), are seeking a pesticide regulatory consultant to join our growing team of regulatory consultants, scientists, and policy experts.  This position will be a full-time remote/telecommuting position directed from our Washington, D.C. office even if filled by a local candidate. PositionApplicants should be experienced in all aspects of preparing, submitting, and managing applications under the...
October 1, 2020

EPA and the Election — A Conversation with Jim Aidala

This week, I sat down with Jim Aidala, Senior Government Affairs Consultant at B&C and its consulting affiliate, The Acta Group.  As a former Assistant Administrator in what is now the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, Jim has a keen sense of how EPA prepares for and transitions to changes in Administrations.  As we prepare for the November elections, we thought it would be good to check-in with Jim and get a...
September 30, 2020

EC Begins Public Consultation on Inception Impact Assessment for “Sustainable Products Initiative”

The European Commission (EC) began a public consultation on September 14, 2020, on the Inception Impact Assessment (Assessment) for a directive on the “Sustainable Products Initiative” (Initiative). According to the EC, this Initiative, which will revise the Ecodesign Directive and propose additional legislative measures as appropriate, intends to make products placed on the European Union (EU) market more sustainable. The EC states that consumers, the environment, and the climate...