The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on November 10, 2020, that the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Program released the ORD Staff Handbook for Developing IRIS Assessments (IRIS Handbook) for public comment. EPA states that the IRIS Handbook provides operating procedures for developing IRIS assessments, including problem formulation approaches and methods for conducting systematic review, dose response analysis, and developing toxicity values. The IRIS...
November 10, 2020
EC Committee Preliminary Opinions on Hydroxyapatite (Nano) and Copper (Nano) and Colloidal Copper (Nano) Available for Comment
On November 9, 2020, the European Commission (EC) Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) published two draft opinions for public comment. In the preliminary opinion on hydroxyapatite (nano), SCCS considered whether the nanomaterial hydroxyapatite is safe when used in leave-on and rinse-off dermal and oral cosmetic products according to the reported maximum concentrations and specifications, taking into account reasonably foreseeable exposure conditions. SCCS states that...
November 10, 2020
EPA Seeks Participants for Small Business Review Panel on HBCD Risk Management Rulemaking
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on November 9, 2020, that it is inviting small businesses, governments, and not-for-profits to participate as Small Entity Representatives (SER) to provide advice and recommendations to a Small Business Advocacy Review (SBAR) Panel for the cyclic aliphatic bromide cluster (HBCD). The Panel will focus on EPA’s development of a proposed rule to address unreasonable risks identified in EPA’s recently completed Toxic Substances Control...
November 10, 2020
Lynn L. Bergeson Quoted in Bloomberg Environment Article “Biden’s EPA Expected to Pass Limits on Some ‘Forever Chemicals’”
On November 10, 2020, Bloomberg Environment featured comments by Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) regarding regulations that the next U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administration is expected to set in the coming years. The incoming administration also could set waste remediation and other limits for some PFAS, said Lynn Bergeson, managing partner of Bergeson & Campbell P.C., which specializes in chemical policies. Yet...
The International Bar Association’s (IBA) 2020 Virtually Together conference, provides an exciting new way to bring the IBA and the world’s legal community together. There will be exceptional showcase sessions, and the committee sessions will offer the chance to hear from the best experts in the field, benefiting all delegates, whatever your area of practice. Don't miss the Agricultural Law Section's presentation, "Opting out of climate unfriendly food? Consumer action or...
By Lynn L. Bergeson On October 20, 2020, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Representative Mike Levin (D-CA) introduced in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives the Zero-Emission Vehicles At of 2020 (the Act). The Act would amend Part A of Title II of the Clean Air Act (CAA) to create a federal national zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) standard and address climate change by ending U.S. sales of new gasoline-powered vehicles in 2035. Senator Merkley and Representative Levin’s...
November 6, 2020
FDA Requests Comments On Reauthorization Of BsUFA
By Lynn L. Bergeson On October 30, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it will host a virtual public meeting on the reauthorization of the Biosimilar User Fee Act (BsUFA) for fiscal years 2023 through 2027. Under BsUFA, FDA collects user fees to support its process for the review of biosimilar and biological products and the current legislative authority is set to expire in September 2022. At the aforementioned time, new legislation will be required for FDA to...
November 6, 2020
USDA Announces Grants To Increase Ethanol And Biodiesel Sales
By Lynn L. Bergeson On October 8, 2020, Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has made $22 million available in grants to increase sales of ethanol and biodiesel. The funds are coming out of the $100 million in grants available through the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) and have been disbursed to 14 states. USDA predicts that the investments will increase ethanol demand by approximately 150 million gallons...
November 6, 2020
DOE Announces Funding For Plastics Recycling R&D
By Lynn L. Bergeson On October 15, 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the availability of over $27 million in funding for 12 projects supporting research and development (R&D) efforts toward advanced plastics recycling technologies and new recyclable plastics. These efforts are part of DOE’s Plastics Innovation Challenge, which aims to improve existing recycling processes that break plastics down into chemical building blocks that can be used to make new products....
By Lynn L. Bergeson On October 19, 2020, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) announced that, in 2019, renewable energy consumption levels in the United States increased for the fourth year in a row, reaching a record 11 percent of total energy consumption. Wood and waste energy, wood pellets, and biomass waste from landfills accounted for approximately 24 percent of U.S. renewable energy use. According to EIA, industrial, commercial, and electric power facilities use wood and...