The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released on February 20, 2020, a proposed supplemental significant new use rule (SNUR) issued under Section 5(a)(2) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for long-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylate (LCPFAC) chemical substances to make inapplicable the exemption for persons who import a subset of LCPFAC chemical substances as part of surface coatings on articles. Under the proposed supplemental SNUR, this subset of LCPFAC chemical substances...
February 21, 2020
EPA Issues Review Plan For CBI Claims Under TSCA
By Lynn L. Bergeson On February 19, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its review plan for certain confidential business information (CBI) claims under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Aiming to provide clarity for affected stakeholders and efficiently fulfill CBI requirements under TSCA, EPA will review CBI claims made for chemical substance identity for chemicals on the “active” portion of the TSCA Inventory. The final rule is a follow-on to the...
February 21, 2020
EPA Pollution Prevention Program Requests Applications
By Lynn L. Bergeson The EPA Pollution Prevention (P2) Grant Program has announced the availability of funds to provide technical assistance (e.g., information, training, tools) to businesses to encourage the development and implementation of source reduction practices. EPA states that source reduction practices can help businesses save money by reducing resource use, expenditures, waste, and liability costs, while at the same time reducing their environmental footprint and helping to protect...
February 21, 2020
UMass Amherst Unveils A Renewable Device Capable Of Generating Energy
By Lynn L. Bergeson On February 17, 2020, researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) announced that one of its laboratories has developed a device using a natural protein to create electricity from moisture in the air. Electrical engineer Jun Yao and microbiologist Derek Lovley have created what they call “Air-Gen,” which consists of an air-powered generator with electrically conductive protein nanowires produced by the microbe Geobacter. The Air-gen...
February 20, 2020
EPA Registers New Uses for Existing Products to Help Reduce the Spread of Candida auris
On February 12, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of 11 products that have been approved for use to disinfect surfaces against the emerging multidrug-resistant fungus Candida auris (C. auris). C. auris can cause severe infections and spreads easily among hospitalized patients and nursing home residents. The 11 products are approved for use against C. auris to disinfect surfaces in hospitals, nursing homes, and other healthcare facilities,...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released on February 19, 2020, a final rule concerning the process companies must follow to make certain confidential business information (CBI) claims and EPA’s plan for reviewing those claims. EPA describes its final rule as creating “an efficient process” for fulfilling the CBI requirements under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and providing clarity for affected stakeholders. Following the procedures set forth in the...
On February 20, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a list of 20 chemical substances identified as low-priority for risk evaluation under the amended Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), completing another TSCA requirement. EPA notes that a final designation as “low-priority” means that risk evaluations are not warranted at this time. EPA states that it considered reasonably available information for each chemical substance under its...
This week, I sat down with my colleague, Sheryl Dolan, a Senior Regulatory Consultant here at Bergeson & Campbell and The Acta Group. As Sheryl’s practice focuses primarily on pesticide matters, we addressed a few hot topics captivating our interest. Sheryl briefed us on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Pesticide Programs’ (OPP) forthcoming move from Crystal City, Virginia, to D.C. later this year, OPP’s recent deployment of its Emerging Pathogen Policy in light...
As reported in our October 1, 2019, blog item, on September 25, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) submitted a proposed significant new use rule (SNUR) on long-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylate (LCPFAC) and perfluoroalkyl sulfonate (PFAS) chemical substances to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. According to OMB’s website, OMB completed its review on February 14, 2020. EPA has not yet publicly released the proposed rule. According...