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...
July 12, 2023

Lynn L. Bergeson and Richard E. Engler Quoted in “Details on PFAS, Substitutes Urged for EU’s Proposed Ban” by Bloomberg Law

On July 11, 2023, Bloomberg Law quoted Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Director of Chemistry, B&C, on what companies need to know to prepare for upcoming per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) regulations.  US manufacturers need to prepare not only for the EU’s PFAS rule, but for a raft of federal and state water, chemical, information collection, and other PFAS...
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...
July 12, 2023

EPA Releases Final TSCA Section 8(a) Reporting and Recordkeeping Rule for Asbestos

On July 6, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a final rule under Section 8(a) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that will require reporting and recordkeeping requirements for asbestos. The pre-publication version of the final rule states that EPA will require certain persons who manufactured (including imported) or processed asbestos and asbestos-containing articles, including as an impurity, in the four years prior to the date of...
July 11, 2023

Preparing A PFAS Game Plan in the U.S., the UK, and the EU, July 11, 2023, via 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,...
July 11, 2023

EPA Begins Public Comment Period on CRA Guidelines for Planning and Problem Formulation

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on June 16, 2023, a 60-day public comment period on the draft Guidelines for Cumulative Risk Assessment Planning and Problem Formulation (draft CRA Guidelines). 88 Fed. Reg. 39424. According to EPA, the draft CRA Guidelines describe steps for the planning and problem formulation of CRAs and offer guidelines for when CRAs could be appropriate. Planning defines both the process for conducting the risk assessment and its...
July 11, 2023

OECD Publishes New, Corrected TGs for Nanomaterials and Workshop Report on How to Prepare TGs for Emerging Technologies

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) announced on July 4, 2023, that it published a number of new, updated, and corrected Test Guidelines (TG), including the following for nanomaterials: On July 4, 2023, OECD also released a corrected version of its Report on the WNT Workshop how to prepare the Test Guidelines Programme for emerging technologies. The Working Party of the National Coordinators of the TG Program (WNT) held a workshop in December 2022 on...
July 11, 2023

USDA Reviews Soybean, Tomato, and Potato Plants Modified Using Genetic Engineering

By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton   The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced on June 27, 2023, that it recently reviewed soybean, tomato, and potato plants modified using genetic engineering. APHIS reviewed the plants to determine whether they presented an increased plant pest risk compared to similar cultivated soybean, tomato, and potato plants: InnerPlant modified two soybean plants and one tomato plant to...