January 3, 2011

America COMPETES Reauthorization Act Presented to President for Signature

On December 28, 2010, the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science (COMPETES) Reauthorization Act of 2010 (H.R. 5116) was presented to President Obama for signature. The bill, as unanimously passed by the Senate on December 17, 2010, does not include reauthorization of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI). The House passed similar legislation on May 28, 2010, by a vote of 262-150. The House bill would have reauthorized...
January 3, 2011

Endrocrine Disruptor Webinar Follow-up

Thank you for participating in Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.’s webinar on endocrine disruptors Monday, December 20, 2010. We are delighted that you were able to participate, and hope that you found the information and format useful and convenient. Request the materials from this webinar....
January 1, 2011

Monthly Update for January 2011

2011 Predictions For EPA’s Office Of Chemical Safety And Pollution Prevention: Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.’s (B&C) thoughts on what may be headed our way in 2011 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) are provided in a memorandum available online. In short, the general trends established by the Obama Administration during the past two years are expected to continue notwithstanding the 2010...
January 1, 2011

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C., “Delayed Implementation of Safer Consumer Product Alternatives Regulations: Implications for Nanoscal,” Nanotechnology Industries Association Newsletter, January 1, 2011.

In response to concerns vigorously expressed by diverse stakeholders over the final draft of the Safer Consumer Product Alternatives (SCPA) Regulations, the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) has effectively delayed implementation of the much-anticipated regulations....
December 31, 2010

Lynn L. Bergeson, “The Proposed TSCA Inventory Update Reporting Rule: Big Changes Are in Store,” Environmental Quality Management, Winter 2010.

While debate continues to swirl around whether, and to what extent, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) needs retooling, just about everyone agrees that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) needs more information on chemical production, use, and exposure in order to make informed decisions about chemical risk management. Most also agree that TSCA could be put to greater use for these purposes....
December 30, 2010

Automotive Groups Challenge Restrictions on Refrigerant, Say EPA Limits Unsupported

The December 30, 2010, issue of BNA Daily Environment Report quotes Lynn L. Bergeson regarding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s significant new use rule (SNUR) for the refrigerant known as HFO-1234yf. According to Bergeson, the final rule was based on an entirely new risk assessment and data first made available for review when the SNUR was issued on October 27, 2010, meaning EPA promulgated the SNUR without adequate notice and comment, in violation of the Administrative...
December 28, 2010

Australia Issues Guidance on New Chemical Requirements for Notification of Industrial Nanomaterials

Australia’s National Industrial Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) recently issued guidance on the new chemical requirements for the notification and assessment of industrial nanomaterials that are considered to be new chemicals. The new administrative arrangements will be effective from January 1, 2011, and will apply to any new chemical that falls under the following working definition of “industrial nanomaterial”: . . . industrial materials...
December 28, 2010

DTSC Delays Implementation of Safer Consumer Product Alternatives Regulations

The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) released a December 23, 2010, letter from Linda S. Adams, California’s Secretary for Environmental Protection to Assembly Member Mike Feuer, the author of the 2008 law (A.B. 1879) that would require regulations to address chemicals and chemical ingredients in consumer products. In the letter, Secretary Adams responded to Feuer’s letter outlining his concerns about the DTSC’s November 16, 2010, release of revisions to...