According to a Federal Register notice scheduled for publication in the May 11, 2011, Federal Register, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is amending the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 8(a) Inventory Update Reporting (IUR) regulations by suspending the next IUR submission period, which would otherwise run from June 1, 2011, to September 30, 2011. The IUR requires manufacturers, including importers, of certain chemical substances included on the...
Category: TSCA
On May 6, 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promulgated a final significant new use rule (SNUR) under Section 5(a)(2) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for the chemical substance identified generically as multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), which was the subject of premanufacture notice (PMN) P-08-199. Under the final SNUR, persons intending to manufacture, import, or process MWCNT for a use that is designated as a significant new use by the final rule must notify...
On April 14, 2011, Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced the Safe Chemicals Act of 2011, which is intended to 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). Lautenberg previously introduced...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released on April 13, 2011, chemical action plans for methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), toluene diisocyanate (TDI), and related compounds. According to EPA, Americans may be exposed to these chemicals when they are used in certain applications, such as spray foam insulation, sealing concrete, or finishing floors. EPA states that diisocyanates are used to make polyurethane polymers. Most polyurethane products, such as foam mattresses or bowling...
March 29, 2011
Senate Committee Holds Oversight Hearing on Disease Clusters and Environmental Health
On March 29, 2011, the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing entitled "Oversight Hearing on Disease Clusters and Environmental Health." Committee Chair Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID), 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 January 25, 2011. The bill would require the U.S....
March 21, 2011
EPA Updates Table Listing Sunset Dates of Chemicals Subject to Final TSCA Section 4 and Related Section 12(b) Actions
Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) updated its table listing the sunset dates of chemicals subject to final Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 4 and related Section 12(b) actions. The table lists, in ascending Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) Registry Number order, all chemical substances and mixtures that are and/or have been the subject of final TSCA Section 4 test rules and/or TSCA Section 4 enforceable consent agreements/orders (ECA) issued by EPA under the...
February 11, 2011
Respondents to House Committee Identify FIFRA and TSCA Regulatory Actions as Impediments to Job Growth
On February 10, 2011, during a hearing on "Regulatory Impediments to Job Creation," the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released a preliminary staff report entitled Assessing Regulatory Impediments to Job Creation. In December 2010, Committee Chair Darrell Issa (R-CA) sent letters to over 150 businesses, industry organizations, and think tanks asking for examples of existing and proposed regulations that have negatively impacted job growth, as well as suggestions on...
February 3, 2011
Senate Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Assessing the Effectiveness of U.S. Chemical Safety Laws
On February 3, 2011, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics, and Environmental Health held a hearing entitled "Assessing the Effectiveness of U.S. Chemical Safety Laws." Subcommittee Chair Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) last year introduced the Safe Chemicals Act of 2010, a bill that would have reformed the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) by shifting the burden of proof to industry to show chemicals are safe, rather than the U.S. Environmental...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) subpoenaed Halliburton Co. on November 10, 2010, for hydraulic fracturing data citing, among others, authority under Section 11(c) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). In response to a request from Congress to study hydraulic fracturing's potential impact on drinking water, human health, and the environment, on September 9, 2010, EPA issued voluntary information requests to nine national and regional hydraulic fracturing service providers,...
This memorandum provides a summary outlook on possible implications of the 2010 Congressional mid-term elections on policy and legislative developments in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) regulation of chemicals and pesticides. The dramatic decline in the number of elected Democratic members, especially the loss of the majority in the House of Representatives, will make for some significant differences in the prospects for EPA's budget, legislative proposals, and general...