April 3, 2023

White House OSTP Outlines Goals for U.S. Biotechnology and Manufacturing

By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton As reported in our March 30, 2023, blog item, on March 22, 2023, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released a new report, Bold Goals for U.S. Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing: Harnessing Research and Development to Further Societal Goals. The report includes five sections, each presenting goals that highlight what could be possible with the power of biology. The goals set ambitious national targets...
April 1, 2023

Monthly Update for April 2023

WEBINAR — TOP TSCA TOPICS: Cumulative Risk, NAMs, Risk Evaluations, CBI, And More!, May 17, 2023, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (EDT), Via Webinar: Panelists Anna Lowit, Senior Science Advisor, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), and Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Director of Chemistry, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), will discuss New Approach Methodologies (NAM), cumulative risk assessment methodologies, systematic review procedures, new approaches to new...
March 31, 2023

Recording Available for “Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Regulations”

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.’s (B&C®) March 22, 2023, webinar, “Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Regulations,” is now available for on-demand viewing. During this one-hour webinar LeRoy (Lee) C. Paddock, Distinguished Professorial Lecturer of Environmental Law at the George Washington University Law School; Edith G. Nagy, Regulatory Consultant, B&C; and Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, B&C, discuss the history and evolution of EPR legislation,...
March 31, 2023

IRS Proposes Regulations Regarding Superfund Tax on Chemicals, Extends Temporary Relief Related to Penalty for Failure to Deposit Excise Taxes

On March 29, 2023, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) relating to the Superfund excise taxes imposed on certain chemicals and certain imported substances, effective July 1, 2022. 88 Fed. Reg. 18446. There are two separate Superfund chemical excise taxes: a tax on the sale or use of “taxable chemicals” and a tax on the sale or use of imported “taxable substances.” The NPRM contains proposed regulations under Sections 4661,...
March 31, 2023

ASTM International Publishes Case Study on Standards for Biodegradable Plastic

By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton   To celebrate its 125th anniversary, ASTM International invited case study submissions from committee members to highlight standards that have made a significant impact in society. One of the winning entries is on a set of standards for biodegradable plastic from Committee D20 on Plastics. According to ASTM International’s article, standard test methods for determining the biobased content of solid, liquid, and gaseous samples using radiocarbon...
March 30, 2023

The East Palestine Train Derailment: Behind the Scenes with Three Former Government Officials

Download transcript. The train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, has inspired a lot of conversation involving a wide range of topics, including emergency response measures, rail transport of chemicals, and most pertinent to this conversation, communicating chemical risk information to the public. Several of my colleagues here at Bergeson & Campbell have worked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in varying capacities and other federal agencies charged with regulating...
March 30, 2023

House Subcommittee Holds Hearing on FY 2024 Budget Request for EPA

On March 28, 2023, the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies held a hearing on the fiscal year (FY) 2024 budget request for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA Administrator Michael Regan was the Committee’s only witness. As reported in our March 14, 2023, blog item, according to EPA’s March 9, 2023, press release, President Biden’s budget requests over $12 billion in discretionary budget authority for EPA in...
March 30, 2023

Richard E. Engler, Ph.D. and Karin F. Baron, MSPH to Speak at GlobalChem 2023

April 3-5, 2023, Washington D.C. Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and The Acta Group (Acta®) are proud to be sponsors of and presenting during the 2023 GlobalChem Conference. This three-day event offers authoritative speakers, in-depth sessions, and a chance to meet and reconnect with industry peers and key government representatives. Highlights from the diverse and substantive program planned for GlobalChem attendees include: The full agenda is available...
March 30, 2023

Biden Administration Announces New Goals and Priorities to Advance Biotechnology and Biomanufacturin

By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton   As reported in our September 13, 2022, blog item, President Joseph Biden signed an Executive Order (EO) on September 12, 2022, creating a National Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Initiative “that will ensure we can make in the United States all that we invent in the United States.” On March 22, 2023, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) published a fact sheet announcing “new...
March 29, 2023

Lynn L. Bergeson Quoted by Chemical Watch in Article “Can the US EPA reduce the cost of TSCA risk evaluations?”

On March 29, 2023, Chemical Watch quoted Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), regarding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) plan to to streamline reviews of existing chemicals. Lynn Bergeson, managing partner of Bergeson & Campbell, says the agency’s reviews “should become more efficient over time”. There may be challenges in the medium term, as long-time staff retire and the agency onboards...