Articles

Nanotechnology is now the subject of much excitement and attention, with applications proliferating quickly. Thus, engineered nanoscale materials’ (“ENM”) implications for human health and the environment, and the critical need for governments throughout the world to get the policy and regulatory framework right has garnered much attention. Most would agree that the ultimate goal for society is to enable nanotechnology to realize its potential while effectively addressing the pertinent...

The EPA’s recently released paper, TSCA Inventory Status of Nanoscale Substances — General Approach, is important for developers of nanotechnologies. Nanomaterials that meet the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) definition of “chemical substance” are subject to TSCA reporting requirements because they may exhibit properties different from the same substances in the bulk scale. A chemical substance means, in relevant part, “any organic or inorganic substance of a...

The EPA’s recently released paper, TSCA Inventory Status of Nanoscale Substances — General Approach, is important for developers of nanotechnologies. Nanomaterials that meet the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) definition of “chemical substance” are subject to TSCA reporting requirements because they may exhibit properties different from the same substances in the bulk scale. A chemical substance means, in relevant part, “any organic or inorganic substance of a...

On July 12, 2007, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published in the Federal Register three separate notices related to the long-awaited Nanoscale Materials Stewardship Program (NMSP) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). All of the notices and accompanying documents are available online....

The November 2006 mid-term elections portend a number of significant Congressional changes. There is no doubt that Democratic leadership in both the House and Senate will shake things up. Some in the business community are buckling their seat belts and preparing for a bumpy ride. Here are a few thoughts on the shape of things to come....

This edition of Risk Talk focuses on emerging environmental risks from a global perspective. From local pollution problems to global warming, companies face a wide variety of environmental risks. The increasingly global economy requires that companies adopt a comprehensive environmental risk management strategy. Properly executed, such a strategy can give a company a competitive advantage. ...

The federal law that regulates new and existing chemical substances, including engineered nanoscale chemical substances, is the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). While there is much debate over how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should deploy its significant TSCA authority to address potential risks to human health and the environment posed by engineered nanoscale materials, there is no doubt that EPA is already doing so. This article provides a general overview of TSCA as...

Over the past several months, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has made significant progress advancing its Nanoscale Materials Stewardship Program (NMSP). ...

The American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources (SEER) offered to brief representatives of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of General Counsel on legal and regulatory issues arising in connection with the application of existing statutory and regulatory authorities to engineered nanoscale materials. SEER prepared briefing documents on each statute, and a separate briefing document on innovative governance mechanisms. Each document...

This “Washington Watch” column outlines the concept of environmental accountability, provides a summary overview of the many mechanisms that are included within this broad topic, and discusses the role that environmental accountability plays in influencing corporate business standards pertinent to environmental performance. As government resources earmarked for more traditional environmental enforcement and compliance-assistance initiatives continue to dwindle, environmental...