July 19, 2023

EPA Will Hold Second Webinar on Final CBI Rule

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held a webinar on July 18, 2023, on its recent final procedural rule for submitting confidential business information (CBI) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). EPA has added a second webinar date, July 20, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. (EDT). The final rule increases transparency, modernizes the reporting and review procedures for CBI, and aligns with the 2016 amendments to TSCA. The rule will become effective on August 7, 2023. EPA...
July 18, 2023

EPA Extends Comment Period on Proposed Updates to TSCA New Chemicals Regulations; Comments Due August 8, 2023

On July 19, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will publish a Federal Register notice extending the comment period on proposed amendments to the new chemicals procedural regulations under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). According to EPA, the amendments are “intended to align the regulatory text with the amendments to TSCA’s new chemicals review provisions contained in the [2016] Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act”...
July 18, 2023

Lynn L. Bergeson, “TSCA, SNURs, and Plastic Waste-Based Feedstocks,” Chemical Processing, July 18, 2023.

On June 20, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed significant new use rules (SNURs) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for 18 chemicals subject to premanufacture notices (PMNs). The rulemaking reflects a level of EPA discomfort with certain new chemicals derived from plastic waste. This article explains the significance of this proposal....
July 17, 2023

Petition Filed to Add Methyl Ethyl Ketoxime to List of Chemical Substances Subject to Superfund Excise Tax

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced on July 17, 2023, that it received a petition requesting that methyl ethyl ketoxime (MEKO) be added to the list of taxable substances under Section 4672(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. 88 Fed. Reg. 45454. The petitioner is AdvanSix Inc., an exporter of MEKO. The notice includes the following description of the petition: According to the petition, MEKO is a clear liquid and a high-efficiency, anti-skinning agent that is used for...
July 15, 2023

Monthly Update for July 2023

WEBINAR — Product Stewardship Practices For Effective Supply Chain Interaction, August 1, 2023, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (EDT): Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) is pleased to present “Product Stewardship Practices for Effective Supply Chain Interaction,” featuring Catherine M. Croke, DBA, Director of Product Stewardship and Regulatory Affairs, B&C; Lee A. Bowers, Vice President, Environmental, Health & Safety, RPM International Inc. (RPM); and...
July 14, 2023

White House OSTP Publishes Scientific Integrity Policy

On June 22, 2023, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) published its Scientific Integrity Policy, which was adopted on May 17, 2023. The purpose of the policy “is to provide instruction and guidance to enhance and promote a continuing culture of scientific integrity” at OSTP. The policy aims to ensure the integrity of all aspects of OSTP scientific activities and establishes the expectations and procedures required to maintain scientific integrity at...
July 14, 2023

Recording Available for “Preparing a PFAS Game Plan in the U.S., the UK, and the EU” Webinar

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) affiliate The Acta Group (Acta®) and EPPA’s July 11, 2023, webinar, “Preparing a PFAS Game Plan in the U.S., the UK, and the EU,” is now available for on-demand viewing. During this one-hour webinar, Meglena Mihova, Managing Partner of EPPA, a Brussels-based regulatory and public affairs consultancy; Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Director of Chemistry, Acta; and Lynn L. Bergeson, President, Acta, discussed bans, restrictions, and reporting...
July 14, 2023

EPA Announces New Framework Intended to Prevent Unsafe New and New Uses of PFAS from Entering the Market

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on June 29, 2023, a new framework (the Framework) for addressing new per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and new uses of existing PFAS. The Framework outlines EPA’s planned approach when reviewing new PFAS and new uses of PFAS to ensure that, before these chemicals are allowed to enter into commerce, EPA will undertake an extensive evaluation to ensure they pose no harm to human health and the environment....
July 13, 2023

PHMSA Seeks Comment on Initiatives to Modernize the HMR

On July 5, 2023, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) to solicit stakeholder feedback on initiatives PHMSA is considering that may modernize the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) and improve efficiencies while maintaining or improving a current high level of safety. 88 Fed. Reg. 43016. To engage fully with stakeholders, the ANPRM solicits comments and input on questions related to 46 distinct topics...
July 12, 2023

TSCA at Seven: As Reasonably Foreseen, ELI and B&C Conclude Another Riveting Conference

On June 29, 2023, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), and the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health presented “TSCA Reform — Seven Years Later.” This virtual conference marked the seventh Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Annual Conference, reflecting on the accomplishments and challenges since the implementation of the 2016 Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (Lautenberg Act) and...