On June 6, 2023, the Maine Senate passed LD 217, “An Act to Support Manufacturers Whose Products Contain Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances” (Act). Passed by the House on June 1, 2023, the bill would postpone the January 1, 2023, reporting requirement for products and product components containing intentionally added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). As reported in our February 17, 2023, memorandum, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (MDEP) issued a...
Lexology presents "Navigating Non-Alignment of PFAS Regulation in the EU, UK, and US" with Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®); Jane Southworth, Partner, Eversheds Sutherland LLP; and Koen Van Maldegem, Partner, Fieldfisher LLP presenting. This Masterclass will focus on analysing these frameworks in the EU, UK, and US and on upcoming changes to PFAS regulation.
On June 5, 2023, Chemical Watch quoted Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), regarding a push from NGO's for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) to use for the first time its authority under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) section 5 to block a Texas-based company from using a plastic fluorination process that generates several types of long-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). If the EPA were to make a 5(f)...
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are attracting global legal, regulatory, commercial, and litigation attention as no other “emerging contaminant” has. Companies producing, processing, distributing, and/or using these substances must be aware of global legal and scientific developments and take steps now to minimize legal, regulatory, and commercial risk. Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and its global consulting affiliate The Acta Group (Acta®) have prepared...
The European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) has posted two Nanopinions: “Seeing is believing,” posted on April 11, 2023, by Dr. Chandima Bulumulla, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Janelia Research Campus of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Dr. Abraham G. Beyene, Group Leader at the Janelia Research Campus of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The column explains how single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) can help measure biochemical processes happening inside the brain....
Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and The Acta Group (Acta®) are pleased to announce that Director of Chemistry Richard E. Engler, Ph.D. will present “Circular Routes and Chemical Nomenclature” during the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) 27th Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference. The theme of this year’s conference, occurring June 13-15, 2023, in Long Beach, CA, is “Closing the Loop: Chemistry for a Sustainable Future.” During his...
June 6, 2023
GAO’s Priority Open Recommendations for EPA Include Recommendations Regarding the IRIS Program
On May 16, 2023, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released publicly a report on its priority open recommendations for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). GAO’s priority recommendations include three in the area of “assessing and controlling toxic chemicals.” According to GAO, EPA’s ability to protect effectively public health and the environment depends on credible and timely assessments of the risks posed by toxic chemicals, including per- and...
By Lisa R. Burchi, James V. Aidala, and Heather F. Collins, M.S. On May 31, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a final rule exempting a class of plant-incorporated protectants (PIP) created using genetic engineering, from registration requirements under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), and from the food or feed residue tolerance requirements under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). 88 Fed. Reg. 34756. PIPs are pesticidal...
On June 29, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a new effort closing out notification actions for minor pesticide label or product formulation changes in an effort to reduce the backlog, which, EPA states, will allow it to focus its limited resources on addressing higher priority actions. EPA announced it has closed out approximately 2,000 antimicrobial actions submitted to EPA prior to October 1, 2022. EPA states that the notification actions do not impact...
June 5, 2023
ChemCatBio Will Hold a Webinar on Perspectives on Engineered Catalyst Design and Forming on June 14,
By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced on May 30, 2023, that the Chemical Catalysis for Bioenergy Consortium (ChemCatBio) will hold a webinar on June 14, 2023, on “Perspectives on Engineered Catalyst Design and Forming.” ChemCatBio is a consortium of eight DOE national laboratories overseen by BETO. According to BETO, the performance evaluation, and ultimate commercial adoption, of...