Chemical Watch presents "TSCA Fundamentals," a two day course providing in-depth training on the very latest TSCA regulatory and policy developments, their impact and how to anticipate their requirements, comply with the law and remain commercially competitive. Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Director of Chemistry, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and Catherine M Croke, DBA, Director of Product Stewardship and Regulatory Affairs, B&C, will present.
Category: General
By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced on July 17, 2023, that it will host a Bioenergy Cybersecurity Workshop, a virtual event organized by Sandia National Laboratories on September 11, 2023, to identify cybersecurity risks in biofuel and bioproduct manufacturing, and develop an approach to address these risks. According to BETO, the workshop will raise awareness of the importance of cybersecurity in...
July 31, 2023
EPA Announces $1.3 Million in Research Funding to Develop Nanosensors to Detect Pesticides and Mitigate Their Impacts
On July 31, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it provided more than $1.3 million in funding to a team of researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison to develop nanosensor technology that can detect, monitor, and degrade commonly used pesticides found in water that can harm human health. According to EPA, using funding from the grant, researchers will develop an integrated, portable, sensor-controlled water treatment technology that itself...
July 31, 2023
Draft Supplement to Risk Evaluation and Draft Revised TSCA Risk Determination for 1,4-Dioxane for Public Comment
On July 10, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of the draft supplement to the risk evaluation for 1,4-dioxane for public comment and peer review. 88 Fed. Reg. 43562. EPA states in its July 7, 2023, press release that the draft supplement to the 2020 risk evaluation considers air and water exposure pathways that were excluded from the earlier risk evaluation and exposure to 1,4-dioxane generated as a byproduct. The draft...
July 31, 2023
Bipartisan Group of Representatives Calls on EPA to Assess the Risks of PFAS in Fluorinated Containers
On July 25, 2023, 12 members of the House sent a letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan urging EPA “to conduct a rigorous, comprehensive, and transparent assessment of the risks of [per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)] in fluorinated containers.” The letter states that EPA is mandated by the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to address the risks of new PFAS and significant new uses of existing PFAS. According to the letter, the...
On July 25, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule regarding the reporting and recordkeeping requirements for asbestos under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). 88 Fed. Reg. 47782. EPA states in its July 6, 2023, press release that under the reporting rule, manufacturers (including importers) or processors of asbestos between 2019 and 2022 with annual sales above $500,000 in any of those years are required to report exposure-related information,...
July 27, 2023
EPA Will Accept Comment on Potential Expansion of Safer Choice and DfE Programs, Announces August 29, 2023, Webinar
On July 25, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced an opportunity for public input on the potential expansion of the Safer Choice and Design for the Environment (DfE) programs’ certification to new product categories. EPA notes in its July 27, 2023, Federal Register notice that Safer Choice “helps consumers, businesses, and purchasers find products that perform and contain ingredients that are safer for human health and the environment.” 88 Fed....
Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and The Acta Group (Acta®) are pleased to announce that Lynn L. Bergeson will present during the “Use and Regulation of Chemicals” session of the Practising Law Institute’s (PLI) Environmental Regulation in Practice 2023: New Challenges and Controversies program on August 2, 2023. Ms. Bergeson and co-presenter Alexandra Dapolito Dunn will discuss: The scope of the Toxic Substances Control Act Knowing the chemicals in your...
July 26, 2023
EPA Will Propose to Ban Uses of CTC That Have Been Phased Out and Establish WCPP for Uses Not Prohibited
On July 17, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it will propose to ban uses of carbon tetrachloride (CTC) that have been phased out and establish a workplace chemical protection program (WCPP) for uses not prohibited to address the unreasonable risk to human health. EPA states in the prepublication version of the proposed rule that it determined that CTC presents an unreasonable risk of injury to health due to cancer from chronic inhalation and...
July 25, 2023
Uhlmann Confirmed as EPA Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
On July 20, 2023, the Senate voted 53 to 46 to confirm David Uhlmann to be Assistant Administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As reported in our September 17, 2021, memorandum, Uhlmann was the Director of the Environmental Policy and Law Program at the University of Michigan Law School. Prior to academia, Uhlmann spent 17 years as a federal prosecutor, including seven years with the U.S. Department of...
On July 3, 2023, the Brazil Association of Technical Standards (ABNT) adopted the amendment to the standard for classifying and labeling chemicals according to NBR 14725. The “new” NBR 14725:2023 merges the four-part standard into one, and adopts the 7th revised edition of the United Nations (UN) Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). These revisions enter into force on July 4, 2025. The following four parts consolidated into NBR 1475:2023...
July 24, 2023
OIRA Publishes Guidance on Broadening Public Participation and Community Engagement in the Regulatory Process
On July 19, 2023, the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) posted a blog item entitled “Making Voices Heard in the Regulatory Process,” announcing the release of “guidance detailing new steps that Federal agencies should take to make it easier for interested members of the public to voice their views in the regulatory process.” According to OIRA, new directions to federal agencies in the guidance include: Calling on federal...
July 21, 2023
EPA Extends Comment Period on Proposed SNURs for 18 Chemicals Made from Plastic Waste-Based Feedstocks
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on July 19, 2023, that it is extending the public comment period for its proposed significant new use rules (SNUR) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to ensure chemicals made from plastic waste-derived feedstocks are free from certain contaminants before they can be used to make transportation fuels. The SNURs would require companies to notify EPA before manufacturing or processing 18 chemicals made from plastic waste-derived...
July 20, 2023
Recording Available for “Preparing a PFAS Game Plan in the U.S., the UK, and the EU” Webinar
Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) affilaite The Acta Group (Acta®) and EPPA’s July 11, 2023, webinar, “Preparing a PFAS Game Plan in the U.S., the UK, and the EU,” is now available for on-demand viewing. During this one-hour webinar, Meglena Mihova, Managing Partner of EPPA, a Brussels-based regulatory and public affairs consultancy; Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Director of Chemistry, Acta; and Lynn L. Bergeson, President, Acta, discussed bans, restrictions,...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held a webinar on July 18, 2023, on its recent final procedural rule for submitting confidential business information (CBI) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). EPA has added a second webinar date, July 20, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. (EDT). The final rule increases transparency, modernizes the reporting and review procedures for CBI, and aligns with the 2016 amendments to TSCA. The rule will become effective on August 7, 2023. EPA states that...
July 18, 2023
EPA Extends Comment Period on Proposed Updates to TSCA New Chemicals Regulations; Comments Due August 8, 2023
On July 19, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will publish a Federal Register notice extending the comment period on proposed amendments to the new chemicals procedural regulations under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). According to EPA, the amendments are “intended to align the regulatory text with the amendments to TSCA’s new chemicals review provisions contained in the [2016] Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act”...
July 17, 2023
Petition Filed to Add Methyl Ethyl Ketoxime to List of Chemical Substances Subject to Superfund Excise Tax
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced on July 17, 2023, that it received a petition requesting that methyl ethyl ketoxime (MEKO) be added to the list of taxable substances under Section 4672(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. 88 Fed. Reg. 45454. The petitioner is AdvanSix Inc., an exporter of MEKO. The notice includes the following description of the petition: According to the petition, MEKO is a clear liquid and a high-efficiency, anti-skinning agent that is used for...
WEBINAR -- Product Stewardship Practices For Effective Supply Chain Interaction, August 1, 2023, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (EDT): Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) is pleased to present “Product Stewardship Practices for Effective Supply Chain Interaction,” featuring Catherine M. Croke, DBA, Director of Product Stewardship and Regulatory Affairs, B&C; Lee A. Bowers, Vice President, Environmental, Health & Safety, RPM International Inc. (RPM); and Michael J. Ford,...
On June 22, 2023, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) published its Scientific Integrity Policy, which was adopted on May 17, 2023. The purpose of the policy “is to provide instruction and guidance to enhance and promote a continuing culture of scientific integrity” at OSTP. The policy aims to ensure the integrity of all aspects of OSTP scientific activities and establishes the expectations and procedures required to maintain scientific integrity at...
July 14, 2023
Recording Available for “Preparing a PFAS Game Plan in the U.S., the UK, and the EU” Webinar
Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) affiliate The Acta Group (Acta®) and EPPA’s July 11, 2023, webinar, “Preparing a PFAS Game Plan in the U.S., the UK, and the EU,” is now available for on-demand viewing. During this one-hour webinar, Meglena Mihova, Managing Partner of EPPA, a Brussels-based regulatory and public affairs consultancy; Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Director of Chemistry, Acta; and Lynn L. Bergeson, President, Acta, discussed bans, restrictions, and reporting...