All Knowledge & Insights By Date

By Lynn L. Bergeson On September 23, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) announced that it plans to begin fieldwork on EPA’s Safer Choice program. According to OIG, its objectives are to identify and assess the controls that EPA has in place to verify that the Safer Choice program meets its goals and achieves quality standards through its product qualification, renewal, and required audit process. OIG states that Safer Choice “is a...

By Lynn L. Bergeson On October 15, 2019, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBCS) announced via the Federal Register the solicitation of applications for funds under the Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, and Biobased Product Manufacturing Assistance Program (the Program). Under the Program, USDA provides guaranteed loans to fund the development, construction, and retrofitting of commercial scale biorefineries using eligible technology. The loans are also...

By Lynn L. Bergeson On October 15, 2019, EPA Administrator, Andrew Wheeler, signed a supplemental notice of the proposed rule on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) that proposes to establish the cellulosic biofuel, advanced biofuel, and total renewable fuel volumes for 2020 and the biomass-based diesel volume for 2021. Although the rule does not change the volumes for 2020 and 2021 proposed in July 2019, it proposes and seeks comment on adjustments to the way that annual renewable fuel...

By Lynn L. Bergeson In response to EPA supplemental proposal outlined above, on October 15, 2019, U.S. Senator James Lankford (R-OK) issued a statement expressing his disappointment with EPA’s RFS mandates. Senator Lankford’s statement reads in part: The RFS has been a problem since day one, and the proposed increase to the mandate only further complicates a broken federal requirement to blend biofuels into gasoline. This proposal continues allowing exemptions for small refineries...

On October 11, 2019, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo (D) signed legislation (S.2387-B/A.164-B) requiring menstrual product packages or boxes sold in New York State to contain a “plain and conspicuous printed list of all the ingredients in the products.” According to Cuomo’s October 11, 2019, press release, the new law makes New York the first state to require ingredient labels on menstrual products. The legislation will take effect in 180 days, and product manufacturers will...

The European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) announced on October 15, 2019, that it seeks topics that could be addressed in upcoming studies.  EUON conducts up to three studies annually that are intended to address knowledge gaps on nanomaterials that are of interest to the general public and the research community.  EUON states that it is looking for studies that address: Questions relating to the health and safety of nanomaterials, including hazard and risk...

Publicly traded companies must disclose certain legal proceedings and risk factors in registration statements and in annual and quarterly reports. These disclosures significantly help investors in assessing the financial integrity of a publicly traded company; formulating a disclosure precisely is critical to compliance, while at the same time accurately capturing the nature and extent of the potential risks. This article summarizes this Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)...

RCRA Improvement Rules: An Update and Discussion Wednesday, October 16, 2019 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. (EDT) Register Today Overview: On November 28, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued the final “Generator Improvements Rule” under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). 81 Fed. Reg. 85732. The potential scope of the revised regulatory program is immense -- the changes will affect almost 700,000 facilities. The rule is the most comprehensive overhaul of the...

Value Chain Communications Required under TSCA Consent Orders and SNURs: How to Formulate Them and Optimize Their Value  Wednesday, November 13, 20191:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. (EST) Available On Demand The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (Lautenberg Act) revised the new chemicals review process and existing chemicals risk evaluation scheme.  These changes have triggered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) issuance of many more restrictions on...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) was pleased to present the complimentary webinar “RCRA Improvements Rule:  An Update and Discussion.” Christopher R. Bryant, Senior Regulatory Consultant, B&C, presented.