Category: General

November 16, 2018

ChemCon Europe 2018, November 12-16, 2018, Budapest, Hungary

ChemCon Europe 2018 brought together experts representing companies, authorities and international organizations from over 30 countries. Presentations given by more than 50 speakers from governments and industry focused in the field of international chemical legislation all over the world, including REACH, TSCA, GHS and country specific information on inventories, and labelling requirements. Michael S. Wenk, M.S., Senior Regulatory Consultant, The Acta Group (Acta®), presented...
November 16, 2018

Senate EPW Committee To Hold Nomination Hearing of Alexandra Dunn to be EPA AA

The U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) will hold a hearing on the nomination of Alexandra Dapolito Dunn to be the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Assistant Administrator (AA) for EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) on Thursday, November 29, 2018, at 10:30 a.m. (EST) in room 406 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.  The hearing will be webcast and will be available on the EPW Committee website. Ms. Dunn has...
November 16, 2018

EPA Submits ICR To OMB On RFS Recordkeeping And Reporting

By Lynn L. Bergeson On November 13, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the submission for review of an information collection request (ICR) on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Program to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).  83 Fed. Reg. 56319.  The Federal Register notice states that purpose of this submission is to obtain OMB approval of an ICR that consolidates some existing collections.  By consolidating the existing collections and...
November 16, 2018

DOE Announces New Director For NETL

By Lynn L. Bergeson On November 9, 2018, DOE’s Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy, Steven Winberg, announced the new director of the DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL): Brian J. Anderson, Ph.D.  Dr. Anderson will serve, as of November 11, 2018, as the new director of NETL.  Dr. Anderson founded and headed the West Virginia University Energy Institute prior to taking the role of NETL director.  Winberg highlighted that Dr. Anderson’s background in...
November 16, 2018

DOE Announces Phase II Topics For FY 2019

By Lynn L. Bergeson On November 13, 2018, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the topic areas for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) for research and development (R&D) proposals for funding by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) in fiscal year (FY) 2019.  The topics include:  advanced manufacturing; bioenergy; buildings; fuel cells; geothermal; solar; vehicles; water; and wind.  They also...
November 15, 2018

Chemical Regulation in the Middle East

Download transcript. This week, I sat down with Michael Wenk, one of our senior regulatory consultants, to discuss his new book Chemical Regulation in the Middle East. Michael’s book focuses on eight countries in the Middle East that have a combination of well developed and emerging chemical regulatory schemes. His book provides a comprehensive examination of the main chemical management laws in force for each particular country, and summarizes general trends and issues facing the region as a...
November 15, 2018

Electrical and Electronic Equipment and the Environment Conference, November 14-15, 2018, London, England

The 2018 Electrical and Electronic Equipment and the Environment Conference covered all the key requirements pertinent to placing hardware products on the market, offering the ideal, one-stop opportunity to catch up with current issues, catch a glimpse of the road ahead, and chat with experts and peers. Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), presented "Life in the Trump Lane: Key U.S. Policy and Regulatory Initiatives under the Trump/Pruitt...
November 14, 2018

Inside EPA Features Comments By Christopher R. Bryant Regarding Conditional RCRA Exemptions for Airbag Removals

On November 14, 2018, Inside EPA spoke with Christopher R. Bryant, Senior Regulatory Consultant, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), for the article “EPA Eases RCRA For Airbag Removals But Keeps Hazardous Waste Status.” [W]hile dealers and others removing the airbags will be conditionally exempt under the new rule, others further down the waste stream will not, says Chris Bryant, a former EPA waste official who is now a senior regulatory consultant with Bergeson...
November 12, 2018

SCCS Revised Guidance for Testing of Cosmetic Ingredients and Their Safety Evaluation Addresses Nanomaterials

On November 7, 2018, the European Commission’s (EC) Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) published the tenth revision of The SCCS Notes of Guidance for the Testing of Cosmetic Ingredients and Their Safety Evaluation.  The guidance contains relevant information on the different aspects of testing and safety evaluation of cosmetic substances in Europe.  The document states that it is designed to provide guidance to public authorities and to the cosmetic industry to...
November 10, 2018

7th Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization Conference 2018, November 8-10, 2018, Washington, D.C.

The 2018 Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization (SNO) conference included presentations on the applications, effects, implications, analytical methods, and lifecycle aspects of nanomaterials, while exploring how nanomaterials and nanotechnology can improve the sustainability of selected fields. Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) presented.
November 9, 2018

EPA Issues Penalty Associated with Violation of R&D Exemption

In September 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a consent agreement with Chevron USA, Inc. (Chevron) related to an alleged violation of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).  EPA’s issuance of a consent agreement for the alleged TSCA violation is not especially newsworthy.  Neither is the agreed upon penalty for the violation, which could be considered minor based on the penalty provisions allowed under TSCA.  What is newsworthy here is that...
November 9, 2018

FDA Submits A Collection Of Information Proposal To OMB

By Lynn L. Bergeson On November 5, 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that a proposed collection of information on the Biosimilars User Fee Program was submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. FDA’s Biosimilars User Fee Program was established under the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009 (BPCI Act), which amended the Public Health Service Act through the addition...
November 7, 2018

Biocides USA, November 6-7, 2018, San Francisco, California

The fourth annual Biocides USA, presented by Chemical Watch, covered new developments in United States biocidal product regulation, as well as global regulations in China, South Korea, Vietnam, India, the European Union, and Canada. Brian Xu, M.D., Ph.D., DABT®, toxicologist with Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), presented on pesticide regulations in China.
November 7, 2018

WEBINAR — Proposition 65 Warning Requirements and Compliance Strategies, November 7, 2018, 11:00 a.m. EDT

Compliance & Risks presented a complimentary webinar “Proposition 65 Warning Requirements and Compliance Strategies.” Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and Lisa R. Burchi, Of Counsel, B&C, presented an overview of California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment new Prop 65 warning label requirements that took effect on August 30, 2018. 
November 6, 2018

B&C Launches All Things Chemical™ Podcast with Debut Episode “Animal Testing and New TSCA”

On November 1, 2018, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) launched a podcast called All Things Chemical™ that will engage listeners in intelligent, insightful conversation about everything related to industrial, pesticidal, and specialty chemicals and the law and business issues surrounding chemicals.  B&C’s talented team of lawyers, scientists, and consultants will keep listeners abreast of the changing world of both domestic and international chemical regulation and...
November 5, 2018

EC Committee Publishes Final Opinion on Colloidal Silver (Nano)

On October 26, 2018, the European Commission (EC) Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) published its final opinion on colloidal silver (nano).  According to the final opinion, the EC received 63 notifications of cosmetic products containing colloidal silver in nano form.  The final 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 and skin care products, with a...
November 2, 2018

EPA’s Regulatory Agenda on TSCA — Enhancing Public Health and Chemical Safety

On October 17, 2018, the Trump Administration published its Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions (Regulatory Agenda).  There are many interesting entries, some of which are flagged here. Not surprisingly, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) listed implementing Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) amendments to enhance public health and chemical safety as one of its top priorities.  According to EPA, the amendments to TSCA that were enacted in June 2016...
November 2, 2018

DOE Announces Fiscal Year 2019 Funding Opportunities

By Lynn L. Bergeson On October 30, 2018, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the topics for 2019 funding opportunities.  Amongst the program offices that are participating in this solicitation, is the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, who will be hosting an informational webinar on November 6, 2018, at 2:00 p.m. (EST) as an opportunity to ask the DOE Program Managers any questions about DOE funding opportunities.  The 90-minute webinar requires registration...
November 2, 2018

Green Groups Petition EPA To Monitor Prairies For Biofuels

By Lynn L. Bergeson On October 30, 2018, Earthjustice and the Clean Air Task Force submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) a petition “to amend its ‘aggregate compliance’ approach to the definition of biomass under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) … to prevent the conversion of native grasslands.”  The petition was filed on behalf of 11 organizations, including the National Wildlife Federation and the Sierra Club, and urges EPA’s...