PBT chemicals have long been recognised to behave differently in the environment and in biological systems from non-PBT substances. The US Congress acknowledged this when amending TSCA in 2016 by crafting special provisions under the Regulation’s Section 6(h) that were uniquely applicable to PBTs. Last July, the EPA proposed a rule that would implement the section, but this caused much controversy and led to comments from, among others,...
March 25, 2020
Yvette T. Collazo Will Be New Director of EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics
Effective March 29, 2020, Yvette T. Collazo will be the new Director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT). Ms. Collazo previously worked for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), where she led activities related to federal contracts and agreements of more than $250 million for the cleanup of radiological, industrial, and groundwater hazards resulting from decades of nuclear material production at DOE’s Savannah River...
March 25, 2020
Yvette T. Collazo Will Be New Director of EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics
Effective March 29, 2020, Yvette T. Collazo will be the new Director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT). Ms. Collazo previously worked for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), where she led activities related to federal contracts and agreements of more than $250 million for the cleanup of radiological, industrial, and groundwater hazards resulting from decades of nuclear material production at DOE’s Savannah River...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on March 25, 2020, that it will consider a proposed rule that would look at potential exemptions to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) fees rule in response to stakeholder concerns about implementation challenges. EPA states that by considering a proposal to narrow the broad scope of the current requirements, it “could significantly reduce burden on potentially thousands of businesses across the country while...
March 25, 2020
Lynn L. Bergeson Quoted in Bloomberg Environment Article “Auto, Other Importers to Get Chemical Fees Break, EPA Says”
On March 25, 2020, Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) was quoted by Bloomberg Environment in response to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to not go after certain companies that failed to identify themselves to help pay a portion of the chemical risk evaluation fee imposed by a Toxic Substances Control Act fee rule issued in October 2018. The exempted companies include those that import products such as cars,...
March 24, 2020
EC Committee Posts Fact Sheet on Guidance on Safety Assessment in Nanomaterials in Cosmetics in French, German, Italian, and Spanish
On March 23, 2020, the European Commission’s (EC) Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) announced that the fact sheet on the SCCS Guidance on the safety assessment of nanomaterials in cosmetics is now available in French, German, Italian, and Spanish. The guidance provides recommendations for the safety assessment of nanomaterials intended for use in cosmetics and covers the main elements of risk assessment of nanomaterials in relation to possible use as cosmetic...
March 24, 2020
Safer Choice Program Accepting Submissions for 2020 Safer Choice Partner of the Year Awards
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Federal Register notice on March 23, 2020, announcing that the EPA Safer Choice program is accepting submissions for its 2020 Safer Choice Partner of the Year Awards. 85 Fed. Reg. 16334. EPA states that it developed the Partner of the Year Awards to recognize the leadership contributions of Safer Choice partners and stakeholders who, over the past year, have shown achievement in the design,...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Federal Register notice on March 20, 2020, inviting the public to nominate scientific experts from a diverse range of disciplines to be considered for appointment to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC). 85 Fed. Reg. 16094. EPA is seeking nominations of individuals who have demonstrated high levels of expertise in scientific and/or technical fields relevant to...
March 23, 2020
NGOs File Suit against EPA for Failing to Disclose Information about New Chemical Substances
On March 18, 2020, a coalition of non-governmental organizations (NGO) filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), claiming that EPA fails to disclose information about new chemical substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). According to the plaintiffs’ complaint, EPA fails to publish full and complete notices of its receipt of new chemical applications in a timely fashion and does not disclose...
On March 23, 2020, comments by Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) were featured by Bloomberg Environment regarding a proposed registration for Polyguard, which uses nanosilver particles to protect textiles from microbes and bacteria. Lynn Bergeson, managing partner of Bergeson & Campbell P.C., said Polyguard’s registration application is much more targeted, for use only on textiles. “It’s also formulated differently, it’s not...