September 17, 2019

Earthjustice Notifies EPA of Intent to Sue for Failure to Disclose Information about New Chemical Substances

On September 3, 2019, Earthjustice filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) a notice of intent (NOI) to sue EPA under Section 20(a)(2) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for “EPA’s repeated and ongoing failures to comply with TSCA’s nondiscretionary mandates to disclose to the public information about new chemical substances reviewed by EPA.” According to Earthjustice, EPA “routinely fails to disclose” certain information regarding the submission...
September 9, 2019

China Notifies WTO of Two Draft Chemical Regulations

The Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) of its “Environmental Risk Assessment and Control Regulation for Chemical Substances (Notification Draft)” (the draft Regulation) and “Measures on the Environmental Management of New Chemical Substances (Notification Draft)” (the draft Measures) on September 2, 2019. The draft Regulation is a revised version of the Consultative Draft of the Regulation published on January 8, 2019,...
August 30, 2019

B&C-Authored Article “Protecting the Value of Health, Safety Studies—Emerging TSCA Issues” Published in Bloomberg Environment Insights

The cost of generating health and safety studies is considerable and data owners have every right to expect some protection from disclosure to preserve the value of their intellectual property.  This is no longer guaranteed as Lynn L. Bergeson, Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., and Kathleen M. Roberts wrote in a two-part article in Bloomberg Environment Insights. The authors propose that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) practice of disclosing entire health and safety studies...
August 30, 2019

NY Department of Environmental Conservation Household Cleansing Product Information Disclosure Program Ruled “Null and Void”

In a significant victory for industry, on August 27, 2019, the State of New York Supreme Court invalidated the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC) Household Cleansing Product Information Disclosure Program (Disclosure Program). Information related to NYDEC’s prior delay of its enforcement of its Disclosure Program is available here, and general information regarding the Program and its extensive requirements for manufacturers of certain consumer cleaning...
August 28, 2019

Australia’s New Scheme for Introducing Industrial Chemicals Will Begin July 1, 2020

On July 1, 2020, the Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS) will replace the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS). The Industrial Chemicals Act 2019, which was passed by Parliament in February 2019 and received Royal Assent in March 2019, created AICIS, a new regulatory scheme for the importation and manufacture of industrial chemicals in Australia. Currently, NICNAS assesses the risks of industrial chemicals and provides...
August 26, 2019

EPA Proposes to Designate 20 Chemical Substances as High-Priority Substances for Risk Evaluation under TSCA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Federal Register notice on August 23, 2019, proposing to designate 20 chemical substances as high-priority substances for risk evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).  84 Fed. Reg. 44300.  The notice and supporting docket materials identify the proposed designation for each of the chemical substances and instructions on how to access the chemical-specific information, analysis, and basis used by EPA...
August 22, 2019

FTC’s Green Guides Apply to Claims Regarding the Environmental Benefits of Simulated and Laboratory-Created Diamonds

In April 2019, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sent warning letters to eight companies advertising simulated or laboratory-created diamonds.  In a May 3, 2019, Business Blog item entitled “The many facets of advertising diamonds with clarity,” FTC states that according to the letters, the companies promoted their products without adequately disclosing that they were not mined diamonds.  In the blog item, FTC posed questions to FTC attorney Robert Frisby regarding the...
August 19, 2019

EPA Begins Comment Period on Manufacturer Requests for Risk Evaluation of DIDP and DINP, and Identifies Additional Conditions of Use

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on August 16, 2019, that it has opened the public comment periods for manufacturer requests for the risk evaluations of two chemicals used in plastic production, diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP) and diisononyl phthalate (DINP). EPA notes that the manufacturer-requested risk evaluations of DIDP and DINP “are among the first such evaluations of this kind to be requested” under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). EPA states that it “is...
August 14, 2019

EPA Proposes to Designate 20 Chemical Substances as Low-Priority Substances

On August 13, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the list of 20 chemical substances that it proposes to designate as low-priority substances for which risk evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) is not warranted at this time. The pre-publication version of EPA’s proposed rule provides a summary of the approach used by EPA to support the proposed designations, the proposed designations for each of the chemical substances, and instructions...
August 12, 2019

EPA Draft Risk Evaluation for 1-BP Finds Unreasonable Risks to Workers, Occupational Non-Users, Consumers, and Bystanders under Certain Specific Uses

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released on August 9, 2019, the draft risk evaluation for 1-bromopropane (1-BP), the fourth of the first ten chemicals undergoing risk evaluation under the amended Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The draft risk evaluation states that there could be unreasonable risks to workers, occupational non-users, consumers, and bystanders under certain conditions of use. EPA did not find unreasonable risk to the environment under any of the...
August 5, 2019

EPA Improves Transparency for New Chemicals Review Program under TSCA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on August 1, 2019, that it is making additional information about new chemical notices available on its website.  The new web page, “Statistics for the New Chemicals Review Program under TSCA,” allows users to view and search monthly updates for any active Premanufacture Notice (PMN), Significant New Use Notice (SNUN), and Microbial Commercial Activity Notice (MCAN) of interest by case number.  Users can also download a...
July 31, 2019

EPA Posts NOA Form B Materials before TSCA Inventory Inactive Designations Take Effect August 5

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Federal Register notice on May 15, 2019, announcing the availability of a signed action identifying chemical substances for inactive designation according to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Inventory Notification (Active-Inactive) Requirements rule. 84 Fed. Reg. 21772. The signed action, dated May 6, 2019, initiated a 90-day period after which substances identified as inactive will be designated as inactive. Inactive...
July 26, 2019

House Subcommittee Holds Hearing on “Benign by Design: Innovations in Sustainable Chemistry”

On July 25, 2019, the House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Research and Technology held a hearing on “Benign by Design:  Innovations in Sustainable Chemistry.”  Subcommittee Chair Haley Stevens (D-MI) opened the hearing, stating that she looked forward to a discussion about the market drivers for sustainability in the chemical industry, the integration of sustainability in chemistry education, and the role of the federal government in supporting research and...
July 22, 2019

Communication and Recordkeeping Requirements Related to EPA Ban on Consumer Use Paint Removers Containing Methylene Chloride Go in Effect on August 26, 2019

In the March 27, 2019, Federal Register, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its final regulatory rulemaking that prohibits the manufacture (including import), processing, and distribution of methylene chloride for consumer paint and coating removal. 84 Fed. Reg. 11420. See Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.’s memorandum, “EPA Bans Consumer Sales of Methylene Chloride Paint Removers, Seeks Comment on Program for Commercial Uses.” Starting...
July 16, 2019

EPA Announces Important New Policy on TSCA CBI Claims of Deficiency

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on July 15, 2019, that it will cease sending notices of deficiency to businesses that submit procedurally flawed confidential business information (CBI) claims under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). This is a significant change from the interpretation EPA announced in January 2017, and a company’s failure to appreciate its consequences could prove damaging. Effective August 15, 2019, EPA will provide written notice to...
July 12, 2019

ECHA’s Management Board Supports Efforts To Improve REACH Authorization And Evaluation and Other Recent REACH Developments

ECHA’s Management Board Supports Efforts To Improve REACH Authorization And Evaluation: On June 20, 2019, ECHA issued a press release entitled “Management Board supports efforts to improve REACH authorisation and evaluation.” In its press release, ECHA provides that its Management Board “has expressed its confidence in the plans to adjust the process for applications for [authorization].” The Management Board also welcomed the joint action plan of ECHA and the EC to improve the...
July 12, 2019

China Begins Public Consultation on Draft Revision to MEP Order No. 7

On July 9, 2019, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE, formerly the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP)) issued a notice of public consultation on the draft revision to the “Environmental Management of New Chemical Substances” (MEP Order No. 7). The deadline to submit comments to MEE regarding the draft revision is August 16, 2019. Comments should be submitted to MEE via e-mail (chem@mee.gov.cn). What Is New? The “Provision on the Environmental Administration of New...
July 8, 2019

USDA to Amend Guidelines for Designating Biobased Products for Federal Procurement

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Office of Procurement and Property Management published a final rule on July 5, 2019, that will amend the Guidelines for Designating Biobased Products for Federal Procurement (Guidelines) to add 30 sections designating the product categories within which biobased products would be afforded procurement preference by federal agencies and their contractors. 84 Fed. Reg. 32015. These 30 product categories contain finished products that are...
July 2, 2019

EPA Releases Draft Risk Evaluations for HBCD and 1,4-Dioxane, Schedules SACC Peer Review

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published on July 1, 2019, a Federal Register notice announcing the availability of the draft risk evaluations for cyclic aliphatic bromide cluster (HBCD) and 1,4-dioxane, two of the first ten chemicals undergoing risk evaluation under the amended Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). 84 Fed. Reg. 31315. EPA states that the purpose of the risk evaluations is to determine whether a chemical substance presents an unreasonable risk to health...
June 27, 2019

China Accepting Nominations of Existing Chemical Substances to Existing Chemical Inventory

On June 21, 2019, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE, formerly the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP)) issued a notice on supplementing and improving the Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances in China (IECSC). Per the notice, chemical substances that were legally produced or imported in China before October 15, 2003, but that are not on the IECSC, except for the substance categories exempted from the “Environmental Management of New Chemical Substances” (MEP Order No....
June 24, 2019

EPA Publishes Proposed PBT Chemicals Rule under TSCA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released on June 21, 2019, a proposed rule intended to reduce exposures to certain chemicals that are persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT). EPA identified five chemicals pursuant to Section 6(h) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA): decabromodiphenyl ether (DecaBDE); phenol, isopropylated phosphate (3:1) (PIP (3:1)), also known as tris(4-isopropylphenyl) phosphate; 2,4,6-tris(tert-butyl)phenol (2,4,6-TTBP);...
June 20, 2019

EC Begins Public Consultation on Fitness Check Roadmap on Endocrine Disruptors

The European Commission (EC) began a public consultation on June 12, 2019, on the Fitness Check Roadmap on Endocrine Disruptors. According to the EC, the Fitness Check will contribute to the assessment of whether chemicals legislation in the European Union (EU) delivers its objective to protect human health and the environment by minimizing the overall exposure to endocrine disruptors. The Fitness Check will include an analysis of how different provisions in the broad spectrum of EC...
June 12, 2019

BoA Issues Landmark Decision In Data Sharing Dispute and Other Recent REACH Developments

BoA Issues Landmark Decision In Data Sharing Dispute: On April 15, 2019, the European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) Board of Appeal (BoA) issued its decision in a data sharing dispute concerning access to data and cost sharing for the substance Acid Orange 7. The Appellants in the case before the BoA were REACH & Colours Kft and REACH & Colours Italia S.r.l. REACH & Colours Kft is the Lead Registrant for Acid Orange 7, and REACH & Colours Italia...
June 12, 2019

Former EPA Administrators Address Direction of EPA in House Committee Hearing

On June 11, 2019, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing on “Critical Mission: Former Administrators Address the Direction of the EPA.” According to the June 6, 2019, memorandum from Representative Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Chair of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, in April 2019, seven former Administrators of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent the Committee on Energy and Commerce and other congressional...
June 11, 2019

OSHA Announced Delay to Update of Hazard Communication Standard

In the Trump Administration’s Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions (Regulatory Agenda) issued on October 17, 2018, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a Proposed Rule Stage item titled “Update to the Hazard Communication Standard,” RIN 1218-AC93, and scheduled the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to be issued by March 2019.  The full description of the item is: OSHA and other U.S. agencies have been...
June 7, 2019

APHIS Proposes Revised Regulatory Framework Regarding the Movement of Certain Genetically Engineered Organisms

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a proposed rule on June 6, 2019, on the movement of certain genetically engineered (GE) organisms. 84 Fed. Reg. 26514. The proposed rule would revise the regulations regarding the movement, including the importation, interstate movement, and environmental release of certain GE organisms in response to advances in genetic engineering and APHIS’ understanding of the plant pest risk...
May 8, 2019

Strength in Numbers: Why Forming a TSCA Consortium Is Important

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released on March 20, 2019, a list of 20 chemicals that EPA has suggested as candidates for high priority designation under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), as reported in our March 22, 2019, memorandum “EPA Releases List of 40 Chemicals Undergoing Prioritization for Risk Evaluation.”  Should those chemicals go forward as high priority, they will be subject to risk evaluation under TSCA Section 6.  Industry...
May 7, 2019

OEHHA Publishes Prop 65 Definition of Nickel (Soluble Compounds)

On May 2, 2019, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) published a definition of nickel (soluble compounds) for the purposes of Proposition 65 (Prop 65). Under the notice, nickel (soluble compounds) are defined to be compounds of nickel with solubility in water of greater than 0.1 moles per liter (mol/L) at 20oC. OEHHA states that this definition is consistent both with the discussion by the Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification...
April 18, 2019

EPA Announces Final SNUR for Asbestos Will “Close Loophole and Protect Consumers”

On April 17, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a final significant new use rule (SNUR) for asbestos using the definition in Title II, Section 202 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), which defines asbestos as the “asbestiform varieties of six fiber types — chrysotile (serpentine), crocidolite (riebeckite), amosite (cummingtonite-grunerite), anthophyllite, tremolite or actinolite.”  EPA states that it is promulgating the SNUR “to...
April 16, 2019

Reminder on the Upcoming June 30, 2019, Registration Deadline for Existing Chemical Substances in South Korea

The South Korea amendment to the Act on Registration and Evaluation, etc of Chemical Substances (K-REACH) came into effect on January 1, 2019.  All existing chemical substances (i.e., substances that are listed on the existing chemical inventory in South Korea) manufactured in or imported to South Korea at greater than or equal to one ton per year are now subject to registration. Existing chemical substances must be pre-registered by the fast-approaching deadline of June 30,...
April 15, 2019

EPA Proposes TSCA CDR Revisions and Update to Small Manufacturer Definition for TSCA Section 8(a)

On April 12, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a proposed rule that would amend the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 8(a) Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) requirements and the TSCA Section 8(a) size standards for small manufacturers. The current CDR rule requires manufacturers (including importers) of certain chemical substances listed on the TSCA Chemical Substance Inventory (TSCA Inventory) to report data on chemical manufacturing, processing, and use every...
April 15, 2019

Turkey Secures EU Funds To Support KKDIK Implementation

Turkey has obtained new funds from the EU to support implementation of KKDIK (Registration (Kaydı), Evaluation (Değerlendirilmesi), Authorization (İzni) and Restriction (Kısıtlanması) of Chemicals (Kimyasalların)) (Turkey REACH). Turkey has secured € 1.6 million as part of the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) program, “the means by which the EU supports reforms in the ‘enlargement countries’ with financial and technical help.” The funds obtained...
April 11, 2019

EPA Announces Proposed Procedures for Review of CBI Claims for the Identity of Chemicals on the TSCA Inventory

On April 10, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a proposed rule regarding its plan to review certain confidential business information (CBI) claims to protect the specific chemical identities of substances on the confidential portion of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Inventory.  The CBI claims that would be reviewed under this plan are those that were asserted on Notice of Activity (NOA) Form A’s filed in accordance with the requirements in...
April 10, 2019

House Subcommittee Holds Hearing on EPA’s FY 2020 Budget

On April 9, 2019, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change held a hearing on the fiscal year (FY) 2020 budget for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The April 5, 2019, memorandum from Representative Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Chair of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, states that President Trump’s FY 2020 budget requests $6.068 billion for EPA, a $2.76 billion (31 percent) decrease from the level set in...
April 2, 2019

EPA Releases Draft Guidance for Pesticide Registrants on Plant Regulator Label Claims, Including Plant Biostimulants

On March 25, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finally weighed-in on the murky and often misunderstood topic of label claims for plant regulators and plant biostimulants in posting its Draft Guidance for Plant Regulator Label Claims, Including Plant Biostimulants in Docket # EPA-HQ-OPP-2018-0258.  EPA issued the notice of availability in the Federal Register on March 27, 2019.  84 Fed. Reg. 11538.  EPA states that the draft...
April 1, 2019

Final SNURs Will Break New Ground under Amended TSCA

On March 27, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) posted a signed final rule that will establish final significant new use rules (SNUR) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for 13 chemical substances that are the subject of premanufacture notices (PMN). The final rule is significant because the 13 chemical substances are not also subject to consent orders. During the review, EPA identified certain reasonably foreseen conditions of use that it designated as...
March 28, 2019

House Subcommittees Hold Hearing on EPA’s IRIS Program

On March 27, 2019, the House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight and Subcommittee on Environment held a hearing on “EPA’s IRIS Program:  Reviewing its Progress and Roadblocks Ahead.”  The hearing focused on issues with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Program, as described in two recent reports issued by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), Chemical Assessments:...
March 22, 2019

EPA Releases List of 40 Chemicals Undergoing Prioritization for Risk Evaluation

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released on March 20, 2019, a list of 40 chemicals for which EPA is initiating the prioritization process for risk evaluation. Section 6(b)(2)(B) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) requires that, as of three and a half years after enactment (by December 22, 2019), at least 20 high-priority chemicals be undergoing risk evaluations and at least 20 low-priority chemicals be designated by EPA. In a March 21, 2019, Federal Register...
March 20, 2019

EPA Bans Consumer Sales of Methylene Chloride Paint Removers, Seeks Comment on Program for Commercial Uses

On March 15, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a signed final rule that prohibits the manufacture (including import), processing, and distribution of methylene chloride for consumer paint and coating removal. EPA states that it “determined that the use of methylene chloride in consumer paint and coating removal presents an unreasonable risk of injury to health due to acute human lethality.” Under the final rule, paint removal products containing...
March 19, 2019

EPA Releases New Tools to Help Companies Meet July 1 Mercury Reporting Requirements

On March 18, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released new tools intended to help companies, organizations, and individuals fulfill their reporting requirements under the mercury reporting requirements rule. Those required to report under the mercury rule can now do so online through the Mercury Electronic Reporting (MER) application accessed through EPA’s Central Data Exchange (CDX). EPA states that it designed this reporting tool “to be user-friendly, with drop-down...
March 14, 2019

House Subcommittee Holds Hearing on “Mismanaging Chemical Risks:  EPA’s Failure to Protect Workers”

On March 13, 2019, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change held a hearing on “Mismanaging Chemical Risks:  EPA’s Failure to Protect Workers.”  The hearing examined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) assessment and management of risks to workers from toxic chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and other laws.  The Subcommittee focused on EPA’s implementation of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for...
March 8, 2019

EPA’s Process for Assessing and Controlling Toxic Chemicals Remains on GAO’s High-Risk List

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released on March 6, 2019, a report entitled High-Risk Series: Substantial Efforts Needed to Achieve Greater Progress on High-Risk Areas. GAO’s high-risk program identifies government operations with vulnerabilities to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, or in need of transformation to address economy, efficiency, or effectiveness challenges. GAO’s report describes the status of high-risk areas and outlines actions necessary to assure...
March 6, 2019

GAO Reviews EPA’s IRIS Assessment Efforts and Implementation of TSCA Reforms

On March 4, 2019, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report titled Chemical Assessments:  Status of EPA’s Efforts to Produce Assessments and Implement the Toxic Substances Control Act.  The report describes the extent to which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Program has addressed identified challenges and made progress toward producing chemical assessments; and assesses whether EPA has...
March 5, 2019

PHMSA Study Will Assess Aligning U.S. and International Regulations for Aerosol Containers

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) routinely reviews and amends the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) to harmonize the HMR with international regulations and standards.  In February 2019, PHMSA’s Office of Hazardous Materials Safety (OHMS) contracted with the Cambridge Systematics (CS) Team to conduct a risk assessment for the transportation of aerosol containers to align U.S. and international regulations. ...
February 25, 2019

FDA Will Publish Proposed Rule for OTC Sunscreen Drug Products

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is scheduled to publish a proposed rule in the Federal Register on February 26, 2019, that would put into effect a final monograph for nonprescription, over-the-counter (OTC) sunscreen drug products. The proposed rule describes the conditions under which FDA proposes that OTC sunscreen monograph products are generally recognized as safe and effective (GRASE) and not misbranded. According to FDA’s February 21, 2019, press...
February 21, 2019

EPA Releases Updated TSCA Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released on February 19, 2019, an update of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Chemical Inventory (TSCA Inventory), which lists chemicals that are “active” versus “inactive” in commerce in the U.S.  EPA’s News Release states that a “key result of the update is that less than half of the total number of chemicals on the current TSCA Inventory (47 percent or 40,655 of the 86,228 chemicals) are currently in commerce.”...
February 14, 2019

EC Begins Public Consultation on Evaluation of FCMs

The European Commission (EC) began a public consultation on February 11, 2019, on the evaluation of food contact materials (FCM).  The purpose of the evaluation is to assess whether the current European Union (EU) legislative framework for FCMs is fit for purpose and delivers as expected.  The evaluation covers the functioning of Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 (Regulation) in its entirety and the rules and tools provided for by the legislation, such as specific implementing...
February 11, 2019

CPSC Requests Comments on Possible Improvements to SaferProducts.gov, Will Hold Public Hearing

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) published a Federal Register notice on February 11, 2019, announcing that it will hold a public hearing to receive information from interested parties about possible changes to www.SaferProducts.gov, CPSC’s Publicly Available Consumer Product Safety Information Database, to improve the website’s usefulness and ease of use. 84 Fed. Reg. 3134. CPSC also requests written comments on possible improvements. The public hearing will...
January 30, 2019

New York Governor Announces Proposed Consumer Right to Know Act

On January 21, 2019, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo (D) announced as part of his Executive Budget a proposal intended to protect New Yorkers from unknown exposure to toxic chemicals.  According to Governor Cuomo’s press release, the Consumer Right to Know Act would authorize the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), in consultation with the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and the New York State Department of State (NYSDOS), to develop...
January 29, 2019

EPA Releases Year in Review, Highlighting Its Accomplishments and Environmental Progress

On January 28, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published its Year in Review: 2018 (YIR). The YIR lists the following accomplishments: The YIR provides the following “by the numbers” summary: Water As reported in our December 11, 2018, memorandum, “EPA Releases ‘Waters of the U.S.’ (WOTUS) Replacement Rule Proposal,” on December 11, 2018, EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced EPA’s and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (Corps) release of...