On April 20, 2023, the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) issued a press release announcing that, together with the Center for Environmental Health (CEH), it sent a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asking EPA to “fix” the public comment process for 18 significant new use notices (SNUN) for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) created by Inhance Technologies in the fluorination of millions of plastic containers. PEER...
Each year about this time, companies are focused on the deadline to submit Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This year is no different as the July 1, 2023, deadline is rapidly approaching. By this date, entities subject to the reporting requirement must submit data for activities that occurred during 2022. Companies are required to report if they meet chemical activity thresholds and: Are either in a covered industry sector and exceed the...
May 18, 2023
Senate and House Subcommittees Hold Additional Hearings on EPA’s FY 2024 Budget Request
On May 3, 2023, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies held a hearing on “A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Request for the Environmental Protection Agency.” On May 10, 2023, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials held a hearing on “The Fiscal Year 2024 Environmental Protection Agency Budget.” For each Subcommittee, Michael S. Regan, Administrator of the U.S....
On April 7, 2023, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) requested comments on proposed Circular A-4, “Regulatory Analysis.” 88 Fed. Reg. 20915. According to OMB, since 2003, OMB Circular A-4, Regulatory Analysis, has provided guidance to federal agencies on the development of regulatory analysis as required under Section 6(a)(3)(C) of Executive Order (EO) 12866 (Regulatory Planning and Review), the Regulatory Right-to-Know Act, and a variety of related authorities. OMB...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on May 11, 2023, that it will hold a webinar on June 7, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. (EDT) on its proposed rule under Section 6(a) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that would ban all consumer uses and most commercial uses of methylene chloride, “a chemical in commercial and consumer products known to cause serious health risks and even death.” As reported in our April 25, 2023, memorandum, EPA proposes prohibitions and...
On May 11, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held a webinar on its Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution (Draft Strategy). As reported in our May 2, 2023, memorandum, EPA states in its April 21, 2023, press release that the Draft Strategy includes “ambitious actions to eliminate the release of plastic and other waste from land-based sources into the environment by 2040.” During the webinar, EPA provided an overview of the Draft...
On May 10, 2023, the Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association, Inc. (NEWMOA) held a webinar to provide an overview and discuss the provisions of its PFAS Draft Model Legislation (draft model) that is intended to reduce the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in consumer products. Viewers had the opportunity to ask questions and provide comments regarding the draft. NEWMOA invites the submission of public comments until June 29, 2023,...
May 11, 2023
FTC Releases Agenda for May 23, 2023, Workshop on “Talking Trash: Recyclable Claims and the Green Guides”
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced on May 10, 2023, that it released the tentative agenda for its May 23, 2023, workshop on “Talking Trash: Recyclable Claims and the Green Guides.” The workshop will examine FTC’s guidance on “recyclable” advertising claims as part of its ongoing review of the Guides for Use of Environmental Marketing Claims (Green Guides). The workshop is free and open to the public, and pre-registration is not required. FTC states that the...
May 10, 2023
NNI Announces Webinars on U.S. Government Activities Addressing Micro- and Nanoplastic Issues
The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) will hold two public webinars providing an overview of the key activities of U.S. government agencies in tackling the challenge of plastic waste in the environment. NNI states that the plastic waste issue includes more than just solid waste accumulation. According to NNI, the breakdown of bulk plastics to micro- and nanoscale particles in the environment “has further challenged efforts to understand the potential human and environmental impacts of...