The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on May 16, 2023, that it will propose amendments to the new chemicals procedural regulations under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). According to the pre-publication version of the proposed rule, 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...
May 23, 2023
Registration Opens for NNI’s Second Webinar on U.S. Government Activities Addressing Micro- and Nanoplastic Issues
As reported in our May 10, 2023, blog item, the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) is holding two public webinars providing an overview of the key activities of U.S. government agencies in tackling the challenge of plastic waste in the environment. According to NNI, the breakdown of bulk plastics to micro- and nanoscale particles in the environment “has further challenged efforts to understand the potential human and environmental impacts of plastics over their full life cycles,”...
On May 17, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it released, and is seeking public comment on, draft guidance that claims to improve the efficiency of EPA’s Endangered Species Act (ESA) analyses for new pesticide active ingredient applications and active ingredients undergoing registration review. When the guidance is issued in final, EPA states that it will fulfill the requirements outlined in the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of...
The United Kingdom’s (UK) Health and Safety Executive (HSE) issued a call for evidence on April 26, 2023, to gather information and evidence that will support HSE and the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) with the preparation of a regulatory management options analysis (RMOA) that examines exposure of the general public to formaldehyde from formaldehyde releasers in articles. HSE states that it is “interested in all aspects of the manufacture, import and use of articles that...
On April 20, 2023, the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) issued a press release announcing that, together with the Center for Environmental Health (CEH), it sent a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asking EPA to “fix” the public comment process for 18 significant new use notices (SNUN) for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) created by Inhance Technologies in the fluorination of millions of plastic containers. PEER...
Each year about this time, companies are focused on the deadline to submit Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This year is no different as the July 1, 2023, deadline is rapidly approaching. By this date, entities subject to the reporting requirement must submit data for activities that occurred during 2022. Companies are required to report if they meet chemical activity thresholds and: EPA’s TRI Threshold Screening Tool can...
May 18, 2023
Senate and House Subcommittees Hold Additional Hearings on EPA’s FY 2024 Budget Request
On May 3, 2023, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies held a hearing on “A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Request for the Environmental Protection Agency.” On May 10, 2023, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials held a hearing on “The Fiscal Year 2024 Environmental Protection Agency Budget.” For each Subcommittee, Michael S. Regan, Administrator of the U.S....
On April 7, 2023, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) requested comments on proposed Circular A-4, “Regulatory Analysis.” 88 Fed. Reg. 20915. According to OMB, since 2003, OMB Circular A-4, Regulatory Analysis, has provided guidance to federal agencies on the development of regulatory analysis as required under Section 6(a)(3)(C) of Executive Order (EO) 12866 (Regulatory Planning and Review), the Regulatory Right-to-Know Act, and a variety of related authorities. OMB...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on May 11, 2023, that it will hold a webinar on June 7, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. (EDT) on its proposed rule under Section 6(a) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that would ban all consumer uses and most commercial uses of methylene chloride, “a chemical in commercial and consumer products known to cause serious health risks and even death.” As reported in our April 25, 2023, memorandum, EPA proposes prohibitions and...
On May 11, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held a webinar on its Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution (Draft Strategy). As reported in our May 2, 2023, memorandum, EPA states in its April 21, 2023, press release that the Draft Strategy includes “ambitious actions to eliminate the release of plastic and other waste from land-based sources into the environment by 2040.” During the webinar, EPA provided an overview of the Draft...