May 11, 2010

EP Committee Votes to Require Risk Assessments and Labeling for Food Products Containing Nanomaterials

On May 4, 2010, the European Parliament (EP) Committee on the Environment, Public Health, and Food Safety voted on draft legislation regarding “novel foods,” which are defined as those that have not been consumed to a significant degree in the European Union (EU) before May 1997. Under the legislation, foods produced by nanotechnology processes would be required to undergo risk assessment before being approved for use, and approved products would be subject to labeling...
May 5, 2010

PPDC Discusses Nanotechnology and Pesticides

On April 29, 2010, during the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC) meeting, William Jordan, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), presented slides regarding nanotechnology and pesticides. Jordan briefly described how OPP is defining nanoscale materials and how the technology is being applied to the field of pesticides. His presentation described OPP’s recent consultation with EPA’s Scientific...
May 4, 2010

New York Sustainability and Green Procurement Advisory Council Drafting Recommendations for FY 2010-11

The Sustainability and Green Procurement Advisory Council (Advisory Council) of the New York Interagency Committee on Sustainability and Green Procurement (Interagency Committee) is in the process of drafting recommendations for inclusion in the annual report required under Governor David Paterson’s 2008 Executive Order (EO) directing state agencies, public authorities, and public benefit corporations to buy environmentally friendly products. In September 2009, the Advisory Council voted...
May 3, 2010

TSCA Reform Proposals Said to Broaden Scope of Firms Required to Provide EPA Data

In the May 3, 2010, issue of BNA Daily Environment Report, Kathleen Roberts notes that the proposed Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) reform legislation would make a critical change by covering manufacturers “and” processors. Currently, most TSCA provisions apply to manufacturers “or” processors, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has rarely chosen to seek toxicity and other data from processors....
May 3, 2010

EPA Releases Semiannual Regulatory Agenda

The May 3, 2010, issue of Pesticide & Toxic Chemical News quotes Lynn L. Bergeson regarding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) development of a list of chemicals of concern under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)....
May 3, 2010

TSCA Reform Webinar Invitation

Monday, May 10, 2010 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (EDT) Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C) is hosting a free webinar on TSCA Reform Legislative Initiatives on May 10, 2010. On April 15, 2010, Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) released the text of the Safe Chemicals Act of 2010, S. 3209 (SCA), which is intended to address the “core failings” of TSCA. Also on April 15, 2010, Representatives Bobby Rush (D-IL), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce,...
May 1, 2010

Monthly Update for May 2010

FEDERAL ISSUESTSCA/FIFRA/NTP/EPCRA EPA Considering TSCA Section 6 Rulemaking For Long-Chain Perfluorinated Chemicals: On April 16, 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) posted its March 2010 Action Initiation List (AIL), which includes an item entitled “Long-Chain Perfluorinated Chemicals (LCPFCs); Regulation(s) Under TSCA.” The abstract for the item states: TSCA section 6 provides authority for EPA to ban or restrict the manufacture (including import),...
April 30, 2010

PPDC Discusses Nanotechnology and Pesticides

At yesterday’s U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC) meeting, William Jordan, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), presented slides regarding nanotechnology and pesticides. Jordan briefly described how OPP is defining nanoscale materials and how the technology is being applied to the field of pesticides. His presentation described OPP’s recent consultation with EPA’s Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP)...
April 29, 2010

MATTER Will Hold Conference on Corporate Responsibility and Emerging Technologies

MATTER and the Economic and Social Research Council Centre for Business, Relationships, Sustainability, and Society at Cardiff University will hold a joint conference entitled “Corporate Responsibility and Emerging Technologies: How Nanotechnologies Are Shaping the CSR Agenda” on June 4, 2010, in London. The free conference is intended to focus on the social and ethical dilemmas involved in the use of emerging technologies. The conference is open to all companies and stakeholders who...