All Knowledge & Insights By Date

On November 20, 2024, Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and Representative Jennifer McClellan (D-VA) introduced the Get Toxic Substances Out of Schools Act of 2024. This is the third consecutive Congress in which Senator Markey has introduced similar legislation. The 118th Congress version, S. 5363 and H.R. 10173, builds on earlier versions by authorizing new grants to address indoor air quality in schools and childcare centers. Congress is unlikely to act on this legislation in the...

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced on November 20, 2024, the release of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Grand Challenge Roadmap Implementation Framework. Developed by an interagency team led by DOE, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the framework is a supplemental document to the roadmap. Whereas the roadmap identified the actions needed to...

On November 21, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of the National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution: Part Three of a Series on Building a Circular Economy for All. According to EPA, together with EPA’s “National Recycling Strategy” and the “National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics,” the “National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution” presents opportunities for voluntary and regulatory actions by...

President-elect Trump’s proposed (and aspirational) Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is the latest incarnation of a new Administration’s attempt to leave its mark on the federal government. In the November 20, 2024, Wall Street Journal, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy published an Op-ed about the DOGE effort they will lead and the three kinds of reform DOGE will pursue: regulatory recissions, administrative reductions, and cost savings. We propose that DOGE add a fourth, equally...

On November 13, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of its interim guidance and additional materials to support the regulatory community in implementing the requirements of the October 4, 2024, final rule for the Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS) Application Exclusion Zone (AEZ) (2024 AEZ Rule). EPA also has created a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document regarding the rulemaking, as well as a chart comparing the differences between the 2015...

On November 6, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of updates to suggestions it provides to registrants when they develop benefits information for new conventional pesticide registrations and new outdoor uses of conventional pesticides. EPA states the updated document may assist registrants to ensure they submit useful and complete benefits-related information and thus save EPA’s review time for new pesticide registrations and outdoor uses. As background,...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and The Acta Group (Acta®) are pleased to announce that Director of Chemistry, Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., will present during two sessions of the Household & Commercial Product Association’s (HCPA) 2024 Annual Meeting: Charting the Path Forward for Policy and Regulatory Progress. This event, scheduled for December 8-11, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, FL, engages the public policy issues that impact the household and commercial products industry....

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on November 20, 2024, the launch of the Tackling Emerging Contaminants (TEC) initiative, a new, no-cost technical assistance effort focused on reducing exposure to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other emerging contaminants in small or disadvantaged communities. According to EPA, the objective of the TEC Water Technical Assistance (WaterTA) is to support small or disadvantaged communities assess and address...

On November 15, 2024, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released a report by the Biomanufacturing Interagency Working Group entitled “Building a Vibrant Domestic Biomanufacturing Ecosystem.” The Working Group includes representatives from the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of State, the...

On November 20, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced an extension to the comment period for the notice published September 30, 2024, seeking public comment on the manufacture of certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), during the fluorination of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and other plastic containers to inform regulations as appropriate under the...