All Knowledge & Insights By Date

On February 8, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it is planning to submit an information collection request (ICR), “Submission of Unreasonable Adverse Effects Information under FIFRA Section 6(a)(2)” (EPA ICR No. 1204.13, OMB Control No. 2070-0039), to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act.   EPA states that information submitted under Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and...

On March 7, 2018, the Nanotechnology Industries Association (NIA) will hold a webinar on “Nanomedicine:  Diagnostics and therapeutics advancing through nanotechnology.”  The webinar will focus on the diagnostic and therapeutic applications of nanotechnology, with the agenda including: Regulatory landscape in Europe and beyond for nanomaterials in healthcare applications; and Industry developments within nanomedicine from NIA Members: Endomag — A United Kingdom/U.S. small- or...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and Bloomberg BNA were pleased to present “Chemical Regulation in 2018: A Sneak Preview of Things to Come,” the first webinar in the B&C/Bloomberg BNA 2018 Chemical Policy Summit Series. Participants joined us for a focused discussion, featuring Nancy B. Beck, Ph.D., a top EPA Administration leader, of priorities that faced EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), focusing on Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)...

As reported in our June 19, 2017, blog item, the European Commission (EC) published a catalog of nanomaterials used in cosmetic products on the European Union (EU) market.  On February 5, 2018, the European Union Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) published a table linking nanomaterials listed in the catalog to their Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) registration data in the European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA)...

Big changes are in store for regulated entities subject to Prop 65 based on a rule implemented in August 2016, but with a fast-approaching enforcement date of Aug. 30, 2018.

On February 7, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is scheduled to issue in the Federal Register a final rule on Voluntary Consensus Standards Update; Formaldehyde Emission Standards for Composite Wood Products that will revise the formaldehyde standards for composite wood products regulations.  The revision updates the incorporation by reference of multiple voluntary consensus standards originally published in the Toxic Substances Control Act...

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavorings, and Processing Aids evaluated food contact material (FCM) Substance No. 1070, which incorporates selenium nanoparticles into the adhesive middle layer of multilayer laminates with an outside polyethylene terephthalate (PET) layer and an inner polyolefin (food contact) layer.  The results of the Panel’s evaluation are published in the January 2018 issue of the EFSA Journal in an...

On January 31, 2018, Scott Pruitt, the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), announced the establishment of an Interagency Working Group to Coordinate Endangered Species Act (ESA) Consultations for Pesticide Registrations and Registration Review.  EPA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) (the Services) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on the establishment of the working group.  The stated purpose of the...

By Kathleen M. Roberts On January 26, 2018, the International Trade Administration (ITA) published in the Federal Register a notice of an open meeting of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee (REEEAC).  The meeting will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on May 10, 2018, in Washington, D.C and will be the seventh and final in-person meeting of the current charter.  The meeting will include REEEAC subcommittee working sessions, a discussion on...

On January 31, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of its 2018 Annual Report on Risk Evaluations.  Pursuant to Section 26(n)(2) of the amended Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), EPA is directed to publish an annual plan at the beginning of each calendar year identifying the chemical substances that will undergo risk evaluations during that year. The plan is to include both risk evaluations that will be initiated and that will be completed, the...

TSCA/FIFRA/TRI Recording Available From “Chemical Regulation In 2018: A Sneak Preview Of Things To Come” Webinar: A recording is now available of “Chemical Regulation in 2018: A Sneak Preview of Things to Come,” the first webinar in the Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®)/ Bloomberg Environment 2018 Chemical Policy Summit Series. This focused discussion featured Nancy B. Beck, Ph.D., D.A.B.T., Deputy Assistant Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA)...

On January 30, 2018, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) convened an Oversight Hearing to Receive Testimony from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt.  In a written statement submitted in advance of the hearing, Pruitt described implementation of the new Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, or the “new” Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), as being of “significant importance” and a “top...

Belgium published in the January 15, 2018, Official Gazette an amendment to the Royal Decree regarding the placement on the market of substances manufactured at the nanoscale.  Under the amendment, cosmetic products as defined by the July 2012 Belgian Royal Decree on cosmetic products are exempt from registration, and provisions regarding the registration of mixtures entered into force on January 1, 2018.  As reported in our October 27, 2014, blog item, substances defined as...

On February 7, 2018, manufacturers that manufactured (including imported) chemicals for nonexempt commercial purposes during the ten-year time period ending on June 21, 2016, will be required to report to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the retrospective reporting period that began on August 11, 2017, per the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Inventory Notification (Active/Inactive) Requirements final rule that established a retrospective electronic notification of...

By Kathleen M. Roberts On January 10, 2018, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced the next phase of its international collaboration to study the impact of biofuels on jet engine performance, emissions, and contrail formation.  In February, NASA’s DC-8 Airborne Science Laboratory will sample and analyze gases and particles present in the wake of the German Aerospace Center’s (DLR) Advanced Technology Research Aircraft (ATRA) A320 aircraft as...

On January 25, 2018, Christopher R. Bryant, Senior Regulatory Consultant at Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), met with Pan Jianwei and Lu Chao, First and Second Secretaries, respectively, of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China regarding U.S. regulation of solid and hazardous waste.  China is currently revising its “Law on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Waste,” so the discussion was informative and timely.  B&C...

The European Commission (EC) Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) published on January 24, 2018, its final opinion on titanium dioxide (nano form) as an ultraviolet (UV)-filter in sprays.  The EC asked SCCS to address the following questions: In light of the data provided, does SCCS consider titanium dioxide (nano) safe when used as a UV-filter in sunscreens and personal care spray products at a concentration up to 5.5 percent; and Does SCCS have any further scientific...

The Office of Science and Technology Policy published a Federal Register notice on January 23, 2018, announcing that the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO), on behalf of the Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology (NSET) Subcommittee of the Committee on Technology, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), “will facilitate stakeholder discussion of targeted nanotechnology topics through workshops, webinars, and Community of Interest meetings between...