December 21, 2021

EPA Proposes Denial Of Undecided/Pending Small Refinery Exemption Petitions

By Lynn L. Bergeson On December 14, 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it is proposing to deny all undecided/pending small refinery exemption petitions under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program. EPA is accepting comments on its proposal until February 7, 2022.
December 20, 2021

EPA Submits TSCA Section 6(a) Rulemaking on Asbestos (Part 1: Chrysotile Asbestos) to OMB for Review

On December 16, 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a proposed rule under Section 6(a) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) on asbestos (part 1: chrysotile asbestos). According to an item in the fall 2021 Unified Agenda, the TSCA Section 6(a) rulemaking is needed to address the unreasonable risks of chrysotile asbestos that were identified in a risk evaluation completed under TSCA Section 6(b). EPA reviewed...
December 17, 2021

EC Denies Authorization of Titanium Dioxide (E171) as a Feed Additive for All Animal Species, Requires Products Be Withdrawn from the Market in 2022

The European Commission (EC) published a regulation on November 30, 2021, in the Official Journal of the European Union that denies the authorization of titanium dioxide (E171) as an additive in animal nutrition, in the additive category “sensory additives,” and in the functional group “colourants: substances that add or restore colour in feedingstuffs.” Under the regulation, existing stocks of the additive must be withdrawn from the market by March 20, 2022....
December 15, 2021

EPA OIG FY 2022 Oversight Plan Includes Oversight Projects Intended to Ensure the Safe Use of Chemicals

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) announced the availability of its fiscal year (FY) 2022 oversight plan on December 14, 2021. According to OIG, the plan reflects the priority work that the OIG believes is necessary to keep EPA, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), and Congress fully informed about issues relating to the administration of EPA programs and operations. The planned oversight projects...
December 15, 2021

Lynn L. Bergeson and Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. Earn Accolades from Who’s Who Legal, U.S. News and World Report, and Super Lawyers

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) is pleased to announce that Managing Partner Lynn L. Bergeson has again been named one of North America’s leading legal practitioners by Who’s Who Legal – Environment. Ms. Bergeson’s recognition as a “Global Elite Thought Leader” by peers and clients notes: “Lynn Bergeson is renowned as ‘an excellent lawyer, particularly in chemical matters’. Her in-depth knowledge of risk assessment and liability management receives further...
December 15, 2021

Lynn L. Bergeson and Christopher R. Blunck Quoted by Bloomberg Law in “EPA to Miss Chemical Deadlines, Exposing Public to Risks”

On December 14, 2021, Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), and Christopher R. Blunck, Of Counsel, B&C, were quoted by Bloomberg Law regarding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recently released regulatory agenda that “anticipates the agency missing at least five of 10 deadlines the 2016 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) amendments set to restrict too-risky chemicals already on the U.S. market" and...
December 14, 2021

Proposition 65: OEHHA Modifies Proposed Changes to “Short-Form” Warnings

On December 13, 2021, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) issued a notice proposing modifications to the revisions it first proposed on January 8, 2021, to its Proposition 65 (Prop 65) Article 6 “clear and reasonable warnings” regulations for “short-form” warnings (Notice). More information regarding the January 8, 2021, proposal is available on our blog. OEHHA is requesting comments on its Notice and the modifications to the proposed...
December 14, 2021

EPA Announces Annual Pesticide Maintenance Fee Forms Available to Download from EPA Website — Deadline for Paying Is January 18, 2022

The January 18, 2022, deadline for payment of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) annual maintenance fee for pesticide registrations is approaching. The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Section 4(i)(1)(A) requires everyone who holds an active or suspended pesticide registration granted under FIFRA Sections 3 and 24(c) (special local needs) to pay an annual maintenance fee to keep the registration in effect. The maintenance fee requirement does not...
December 14, 2021

Germany Publishes Report on Developing a Specific OECD Test Guideline on Particle Size and Particle Size Distribution of Nanomaterials

In December 2021, the German Environment Agency (UBA) published a report entitled Development of a specific OECD Test Guideline on Particle Size and Particle Size Distribution of Nanomaterials. The UBA commissioned the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) (project coordinator) and the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) to develop an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (⁠OECD)⁠ Test Guideline for the determination of particle...
December 14, 2021

EPA’s Fall 2021 Unified Agenda Includes TSCA Rulemakings

On December 10, 2021, the Biden Administration released its Fall 2021 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) rule list, the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) is working on the following rulemakings under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Rulemakings at the proposed stage include: Tiered Data Reporting to Inform Prioritization, Risk Evaluation, and Risk Management Under TSCA...