On September 20, 2022, the European Commission (EC) began a public consultation on a draft act that would introduce new hazard classes as part of its revision to Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on the Classification, Labeling, and Packaging of Substances and Mixtures (CLP). Hazard classes and criteria would be added for endocrine disruptors and substances that are persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT), very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB), persistent, mobile, and toxic...
October 26, 202212:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. (EDT) Register Now The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports that 48 million people in the United States (1 in 6) get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die each year from foodborne diseases. In 2011, President Obama signed into law the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) in part to address this significant public health issue. FSMA is a comprehensive law intended to shift the focus of...
September 28, 2022
EC Opens Call for Evidence on a Proposal for a Basic Regulation for ECHA
On September 12, 2022, the European Commission (EC) opened a call for evidence on a proposal for a basic regulation for the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). According to the EC, this initiative aims to strengthen ECHA governance and adapt it to its future role, as well as streamline the working methods of ECHA bodies and make their financing more sustainable. Responses are due October 10, 2022. The EC plans to adopt a regulation in the second quarter of 2023....
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold a webinar on October 13, 2022, on its web-based Interspecies Correlation Estimation (Web-ICE) tool. According to EPA, protecting the diversity of species from the adverse effects of chemicals is a significant environmental challenge. EPA acknowledges that information on the effects of chemicals on species is either very limited or lacking entirely, making management and mitigation of environmental contaminants difficult. EPA developed...
September 27, 2022
CRS Publishes Primer on the Bioeconomy
By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton The Congressional Research Service (CRS) published a CRS report, updated on September 19, 2022, entitled The Bioeconomy: A Primer. The report provides an overview of the bioeconomy, details the efforts of the United States and other selected nations pertaining to the bioeconomy, and offers policy considerations for strengthening the role of the United States in the global bioeconomy. The report does not examine the policies and...
September 23, 2022
ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources 30th Fall Conference, September 21-23, 2022, Nashville, TN
The American Bar Association’s (ABA) Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources (SEER) 30th Fall Conference looked at rapidly emerging developments in environmental, energy, and resources law, including the novel approaches taken to bring solutions to climate change, sustainability, clean air, clean water, chemical management, environmental justice, and other transformative issues. Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®),...
September 23, 2022
Lynn L. Bergeson, “EPA Targets PFAS Cleanup,” Chemical Processing, September 23, 2022.
Cleanup costs under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) are about to get a lot more expensive. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on September 6, 2022, that it will propose to designate perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), two of the most widely used per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), as hazardous substances under CERCLA. The rulemaking would also require entities immediately to report...
September 21, 2022
EU Programs Conducting Survey on Risk Governance for Nanotechnology
Gov4Nano, NANORIGO, and RiskGONE, three projects funded by the European Union (EU), are working together “to develop and establish a robust public policy framework for the use of nanomaterials based on scientific evidence supporting a clear understanding of risks, their assessment and management within wider societal considerations.” The projects are conducting a survey to understand better how the needs of different stakeholders can be addressed through the outputs of the...
September 21, 2022
EPA Will Hold Webinar on Accessing and Using TRI Pollution Prevention Data
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold a webinar on September 24, 2021, for stakeholders to learn how to access and use the pollution prevention (P2) information collected by the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Program about projects implemented by companies to eliminate or reduce the creation of chemical waste. According to EPA, community members, local government representatives, facility personnel, and others can access this information through multiple online resources...
As reported in our July 18, 2022, blog item, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) received a petition on June 16, 2022, under Section 21 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) from Daniel M. Galpern on behalf of Donn J. Viviani, John Birks, Richard Heede, Lise Van Susteren, James E. Hansen, Climate Science, Awareness and Solutions, and Climate Protection and Restoration Initiative. The petition requests EPA “to phase out the anthropogenic manufacture, processing, distribution,...