On April 14, 2011, Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced the Safe Chemicals Act of 2011. The bill is intended to amend and modernize the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to require chemical companies to demonstrate the safety of industrial chemicals and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to evaluate safety based on the best available science. The bill is co-sponsored by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Charles Schumer (D-NY), and Barbara Boxer (D-CA)....
April 27, 2011
Lynn L. Bergeson, James V. Aidala, Charles M. Auer, “The Devilish Details Of TSCA Reform,” Law360, April 27, 2011.
On April 14, Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, D-N.J., introduced the Safe Chemicals Act of 2011, which is intended to modernize the Toxic Substances Control Act to require chemical companies to demonstrate the safety of industrial chemicals and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to evaluate safety based on the best available science....
On April 14, 2011, the House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Research and Science Education held a hearing entitled ‘Nanotechnology: Oversight of the National Nanotechnology Initiative and Priorities for the Future.’ According to the hearing charter, the purpose of the hearing was to examine the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) and address the Nation’s research and development priorities for the future....
On the 7th March 2011, the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that it sought comments and information on the types of hazard identification and risk management research that it should consider in updating the NIOSH 2009 nanotechnology strategic plan. What follows is an explanation of why NIOSH’s continuing research is essential, and why stakeholders are urged to help shape the content and...
At the April 7-8, 2011, CropLife America and RISE (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment) Spring Conference in Washington, D.C., the future of nanotechnology and its applications in the agricultural sector was the subject of a panel discussion....
On May 19, 2011, the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources Committee on Pesticides, Chemical Regulation and Right-to-Know will convene a webinar on global nanotechnology governance initiatives. The program will explore the new and creative applications of existing regulatory tools and governance approaches to address the potential risks of nanotechnologies, implement new risk assessment approaches to evolving technologies, and maximize the potential...
April 7, 2011
James V. Aidala, “Tracking Disease Clusters and Environmental Health,” Law360, April 7, 2011.
On March 29, the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing entitled “Oversight Hearing on Disease Clusters and Environmental Health.” Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and Senator Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, ranking member of the Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health Subcommittee, introduced the Strengthening Protections for Children and Communities from Disease Clusters Act (S. 76), also known as Trevor’s Law, on Jan. 25, 2011....
April 4, 2011
Lynn L. Bergeson, “RoHS Recast: How Did Nanomaterials Fare?,” Nanotechnology Law & Business, Volume 7, Issue 4.
Several types of nanoscale materials recently dodged a bullet as the European Parliament declined to ban nanosilver and long multi-walled carbon nanotubes in the European Union’s Directive on the Restriction and Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment, (more commonly known as “RoHS”). For reasons not entirely clear, detractors of these nanoscale materials tried, and failed, to ban them outright in the RoHS Recast initiative. For nano stakeholders, while...
A March 11, 2011, memorandum from the White House Emerging Technologies Interagency Policy Coordination Committee (ETIPC) sets forth the Obama Administration’s principles for regulation and oversight of emerging technologies, including nanotechnology. One might wonder why a memorandum was thought necessary, and indeed, according to some U.S. trade press reports, the memorandum reportedly was not especially welcome news in some NGO camps. According to these reports, the memorandum reflects...
April 1, 2011
Lynn L. Bergeson and Chris R. Bryant, “EPA Issues Final Rules for Boilers,” Chemical Processing, April 2011.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that more than 200,000 boilers, process heaters and incinerators will be impacted by a set of Clean Air Act regulations issued on February 21, 2011. Since EPA first proposed the Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) rules in April 2010, several industry sectors have argued the costs of implementing the rules would pose an unreasonable burden on businesses. In response to this criticism, EPA revised the rules in a...