October 29, 2021

IBA Global Showcase, October 25-29, 2021, via webinar

The International Bar Association (IBA) Global Showcase will highlight the diverse work and achievements of the IBA's membership in many key areas of policy and practice. There will also be a series of high-profile expert sessions discussing some of the biggest issues and challenges facing the global legal profession, with speakers sharing ideas and solutions. Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) is Senior Vice Chair of the Agricultural Law...
October 29, 2021

EPA Will Act upon Petition by Initiating Two RCRA Rulemakings to Address PFAS

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on October 26, 2021, that it is acting upon a petition from New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) to address per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). EPA states that in responding to the petition, it outlined plans to initiate the rulemaking process for two new RCRA actions, “reflecting the agency’s focus on using best available science and leveraging authorities...
October 28, 2021

House Committee Holds Hearing on “TSCA and Public Health: Fulfilling the Promise of the Lautenberg Act”

The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change held a hearing on October 27, 2021, on “TSCA and Public Health: Fulfilling the Promise of the Lautenberg Act.” The October 25, 2021, briefing memorandum notes that the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (the Lautenberg Act) comprehensively amended the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), “including key reforms to increase [the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA)]...
October 28, 2021

Exploring the Environmental Footprint of the Digital Economy — A Conversation with David Rejeski

David’s 1999 Paper on e-commerce and the environment Download transcript This week I sat down with David Rejeski, Visiting Scholar with the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), to learn more about his engagement in the Project on the Energy and Environmental Implications of the Digital Economy. With support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, ELI, the Yale School of the Environment, and the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment at UC Berkeley, the Project is shedding much-needed...
October 28, 2021

EPA Posts Recording of Webinar on Green Chemistry Challenge Awards for 2022

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has posted a recording of the September 22, 2021, webinar that it hosted to educate stakeholders on the Green Chemistry Challenge Awards and the nomination process. The webinar reviewed the history of the awards, the categories within the awards, eligibility requirements, and what is needed to submit a nomination. As reported in our August 27, 2021, blog item, EPA is currently accepting nominations for the 2022 Green Chemistry Challenge Awards...
October 27, 2021

EPA Requests Nominations of Individuals with Experience in Systematic Review or Exposures to Fenceline Communities for Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals

On October 27, 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requested public nominations of scientific experts to consider for service as ad hoc reviewers assisting the Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC) with two peer review topics anticipated for early 2022: the draft EPA Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Systematic Review Protocol and the draft EPA TSCA Screening Level Approach for Assessing Ambient Air and Water Exposures to Fenceline Communities. 86...
October 26, 2021

EPA Announces Revisions to Guidance to Ensure Effectiveness of Antimicrobial Pesticides against Candida auris

On October 15, 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it has revised its guidance for evaluating the efficacy of antimicrobial pesticides against Candida auris (C. auris). EPA states that pesticide manufacturers seeking to register their products with a C. auris claim should use this updated guidance to test the effectiveness of the products against a drug-resistant strain of C. auris. EPA states that C. auris is an...
October 26, 2021

Registration Opens for Webinar on “What We Know about NanoEHS: Risk Assessment and Risk Management”

Registration has opened for a November 16, 2021, webinar held by the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) on “What We Know about NanoEHS: Risk Assessment and Risk Management.” The webinar’s speakers will explore the impact of advances in risk assessment and risk management on the safe and responsible development of nanotechnology. The panel will include: Rick Canady, Director and Founder, NeutralScience L3C; Igor Linkov, Research Physical Scientist Environmental Laboratory,...
October 25, 2021

EPA Proposes Further Extension of Compliance Dates for PIP (3:1)-Containing Articles

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on October 21, 2021, that it is proposing to extend further the compliance dates related to articles containing phenol, isopropylated phosphate (3:1) (PIP (3:1)) to ensure supply chains for key consumer and commercial goods are not disrupted. As reported in our September 3, 2021, memorandum that addresses a September 17, 2021, final rule, EPA provided a short-term extension of certain compliance dates for PIP (3:1)...
October 25, 2021

EPA OIG Will Evaluate Process for Changes Made to Final SNUR for LCPFAC and Perfluoroalkyl Sulfonate Chemical Substances

According to an October 25, 2021, project notification memorandum, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) plans to begin an evaluation to determine the extent to which EPA followed applicable policies, procedures, and guidance for the changes made to the significant new use rule (SNUR) for long-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylate (LCPFAC) and perfluoroalkyl sulfonate chemical substances between the EPA Administrator’s signing of the final rule on June...