The European Commission (EC) Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) has posted for comment its opinion on hydroxyapatite (nano). According to the opinion, the EC received 35 notifications of cosmetic products containing hydroxyapatite in nano form. The opinion states that, according to the applicants, the ingredient is used in nano uncoated form both in leave-on and rinse-off oral cosmetics products, including toothpastes, tooth whiteners, and mouth washes with a maximum reported...
Category: General
November 17, 2015
Chemical Watch Quotes Lynn Bergeson In “Leading Republican Senators Pledge To ‘Rein In’ US EPA” Article
The November 17, 2015, Chemical Watch article “Leading Republican Senators Pledge To ‘Rein In’ US EPA,” included a quote from Lynn L. Bergeson on a possible outcome of Republicans taking control of the Senate. “Given Senator Inhofe’s strong views on EPA, it would not surprise me if he took direct aim at many EPA initiatives, starting with, but by no means ending with, climate change,” said Lynn Bergeson of the law firm Bergeson & Campbell, which specialises in...
The Acta Group (Acta®), a consulting firm affiliated with Washington, D.C. law firm Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), is seeking a pesticide registration specialist to join our growing team of regulatory consultants, scientists, and policy experts. This position will be based in our Washington, D.C. office, although telework arrangements may be considered for the right candidate. Applicants should be experienced in all aspects of preparing, submitting, and managing...
November 17, 2015
Lynn L. Bergeson, “FTC Targets Biodegradable Materials,” Chemical Processing, November 17, 2015.
On October 20, 2015, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released a “Final Order and Opinion” against ECM BioFilms, Inc., stating that ECM made false and unsubstantiated environmental claims that its additives for plastics (ECM Plastics) would make treated plastics biodegrade in a landfill. The opinion come two years after FTC issued an administrative complaint against ECM and ten months after an FTC Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) issued an Initial Decision finding ECM violated FTC Act...
November 17, 2015
WEBINAR – TSCA Reform, November 17, 2015, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm (EST)
Presented by Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C) and B2BWebinars.com. This timely discussion on TSCA reform and its impact on the chemical value chain featured Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner of B&C, and Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Senior Chemist with B&C, and formerly of the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, U.S. EPA.
On November 11, 2015, the Council of the European Union (EU) announced that its Permanent Representatives Committee approved the proposed novel food regulation. On November 16, 2015, the European Parliament (EP) and the Council of the EU reached an agreement on the proposal. The European Commission (EC) issued a November 16, 2015, press release and a November 16, 2015, Questions and Answers (Q&A) document concerning the final regulation. The Q&A includes the...
November 13, 2015
Weekly Roundup of Other Biobased News
? Solegear, "Solegear And r-pac International Team Up To Produce Leading Smartphone Case Packaging" ? Gevo, "Gevo And Valvtect To Collaborate In Bringing Renewable Isobutanol Fuel Blends To Marinas" ? Fibre2Fashion, "Brugnoli Unveils Br4 Fabrics Using Evo Fibre From Fulgar" ? AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds, "Minimising Nitrous Oxide Intensities Of Arable Crop Products (MIN-NO)" ? Green Chemistry, "Towards Multi-Purpose Biorefinery Platforms For The...
November 13, 2015
Open Meeting Of The Biomass Research And Development Technical Advisory Committee Announced
On November 4, 2015, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy announced an open meeting of the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee. The meeting is intended to develop guidance promoting the research and development (R&D) of biobased fuel and product production. In addition to an opportunity for members of the public to make oral statements, the meeting will cover an update on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and DOE...
November 13, 2015
EPA Calls For Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award Nominations
On November 4, 2015, EPA announced a request for nominations for the 21st Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award (PGCCA). The PGCCA is sponsored by EPA and the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute®. Over the 21 years of the challenge, EPA has recognized 104 new technologies that have saved water, reduced carbon dioxide emissions, and reduced the use of many hazardous chemicals and solvents. There are seven award areas covering greener synthetic pathways, greener reaction...
November 13, 2015
White House OMB Reviews Final Changes To Standards For Renewable Fuels
On October 30, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) submitted a draft final rule for review to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that would reduce the amount of biofuels that must be blended into the fuel supply in 2014, 2015, and 2016 from statutory requirements, as reported by Bloomberg BNA's Daily Environment Report on November 3, 2015. Details of the proposal are not public. EPA is working toward a November 30, 2015, deadline established in a...
A three-day immersion in environmental law for new and seasoned professionals, featuring top-rated faculty and challenging, interactive course material. Lynn L. Bergeson presented the session on Federal Chemical Regulation on Nov. 10th.
November 9, 2015
Understanding and Complying with HCS 2012, November 9, 2015, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm (EST), Washington, D.C., In-person and via Webcast
Understanding and Complying with HCS 2012, an interactive webcast and workshop presented by the Council of Producers & Distributors of Agrotechnology (CPDA) helped chemical manufacturers understand how to reclassify their hazardous chemicals, develop the appropriate labels and SDSs, or demonstrate "due diligence" to inspectors. Speakers included B&C's Karin F. Baron, M.S.P.H., Dionne Williams, Directorate of Enforcement Programs, OSHA, and Adam...
November 6, 2015
OECD Tour de Table Documents Cover Developments in 2014 and 2015
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has posted two Tour de Table documents. The documents, dated October 26, 2015, cover activities from January to July 2014 and before September 2015: Current Developments in Delegations on the Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials — Tour de Table: The document compiles information, provided by delegations, including the European Commission (EC), together with non-member economies, on current developments on the...
On November 3-5, 2015, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Technical Working Group (TWG) on Pesticides, established in 1997 to streamline certain pesticide shipments between Canada (CN), Mexico (MX), and the United States (U.S.), held a meeting hosted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Durham, North Carolina. NAFTA TWG states that its primary objective “is to develop relevant and cost-effective pesticide regulation and trade among the three countries and meet...
November 5, 2015
Meeting of the Environment Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union (AmCham EU), November 5, 2015, Brussels, Belgium
Lynn L. Bergeson presented to the committee regarding recent developments on TSCA reform.
November 2, 2015
JRC Publishes Part Three of Its Review of EC’s Recommendation for a Definition of the Term Nanomaterial
The Joint Research Center (JRC) published on October 19, 2015, a report entitled Towards a review of the EC Recommendation for a definition of the term “nanomaterial”: Part 3: Scientific-technical evaluation of options to clarify the definition and to facilitate its implementation. The report provides JRC’s scientific-technical evaluation of options to clarify the European Commission’s (EC) 2011 Recommendation on a definition of nanomaterial. In 2013, JRC started to develop a...
On October 30, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it is requesting comments on a proposal to revoke all tolerances for the insecticide chlorpyrifos. EPA issued this proposal in response to an August 10, 2015, writ of mandamus by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The court granted this unusual relief in response to a 2007 administrative petition to cancel chlorpyrifos registrations or to revoke chlorpyrifos tolerances by the...
Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. extends its best wishes to our clients and many friends and we wish you and your family a happy Thanksgiving Day and a delightful holiday season. * * * * * REGISTER TO ATTEND THE "TSCA REFORM PANEL SUMMIT," OR TO VIEW THE LIVE WEBCAST, AT THE ELI WEBSITE. George Washington University (GWU) Milken Institute School of Public Health, GWU Law School, Environmental Law Institute, Arnold & Porter LLP, and Bergeson & Campbell, P.C....
October 30, 2015
Nanotechnology Startup Challenge for Cancer Will Bring Nanotechnology Inventions to Market
On October 29, 2015, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) published a blog item concerning the Nanotechnology Startup Challenge for Cancer (NSC2), “an open-innovation competition designed by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the non-profit Center for Advancing Innovation (CAI) to bring promising cancer nanotechnology inventions to market.” According to OSTP, the competition “creatively combines some of the most powerful tools in the...
October 28, 2015
EPA’s OCSPP Agrees to More Communication, Transparency, and Efficiency When Processing Pesticide Petitions
On October 27, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a report on an evaluation conducted by OIG entitled “EPA Needs Policies and Procedures to Manage Public Pesticide Petitions in a Transparent and Efficient Manner” (OIG Report). OIG evaluated how EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) tracks the receipt, disposition and resolution of public petitions, focusing on OCSPP’s Office of Pesticide...