All Things Chemical® Podcast | Bergeson & Campbell

May 13, 2021

Pesticide Use on Cannabis in Colorado — A Conversation with Brenna Finn

Download transcript. This week, I sat down with Brenna Finn, Assistant Attorney General, Colorado Department of Law. I am proud to report that Brenna was a law intern here at the firm years ago, as Brenna began her legal career, and pleased to report that her experience with the firm focused her career, in part, on chemical regulation. Brenna’s substantive skills in Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) regulation have served her well in private practice and prepared her for her current position with the State of ... read more >

April 29, 2021

Let’s Talk About Europe’s Plastics Implementing Measure — A Conversation with Scott Burya, Ph.D.

Download transcript. This week, I sat down with Scott J. Burya, Ph.D., a regulatory chemist with B&C and our affiliated consulting firm, The Acta Group. Scott works extensively in the food contact area and other areas involving Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) regulatory matters. We discuss how U.S. regulatory professionals working in the all-important food contact space can leverage a European Union (EU) measure applicable to plastic food contact materials and articles. The Plastics Implementing Measure, or PIM, includes, among other features, a list of ... read more >

April 15, 2021

What will the Biden Trade Plan look like? — A Conversation with Daniella Taveau

Download Transcript. This week, I sat down with Daniella Taveau, a Regulatory and Global Trade Strategist and the founder of Bold Text Strategies. As a former International Trade Negotiator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Daniella represented the United States in all U.S. Free Trade Agreements and before the World Trade Organization, the United Nations (U.N.) Food and Agriculture Organization, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. Daniella also served as an International Policy Analyst with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Given Daniella’s ... read more >

April 1, 2021

Changes to Safety Data Sheets in the EU and what it might mean for US Businesses — A Conversation with Karin Baron

Download transcript. This week I sat down with Karin Baron, Senior Regulatory Consultant to B&C and our affiliated consultancy, The Acta Group, to discuss the European Union’s (EU) Commission Regulation issued last June relating to the completion of safety data sheets (SDS). As listeners know, SDSs are critically important commercial documents that describe the hazards identified with a particular chemical product or mixture as it makes its way in commerce. While this is an EU rule, Karin explains why the new regulation has important consequences for U.S. ... read more >

March 18, 2021

Is Everything Carcinogenic? — A Conversation with Jane S. Vergnes, Ph.D. and Richard E. Engler, Ph.D.

This week, I sat down with Dr. Jane Vergnes, Director of Toxicology and Vice President, Scientific Affairs, here at B&C and its consulting affiliate, The Acta Group (Acta®), and Dr. Richard Engler, Director of Chemistry, at B&C and Acta. We discussed the provocative question “is everything carcinogenic?” In asking this question, Jane and Rich discuss the marketing and labeling implications of a cancer classification for a chemical substance found as an ingredient in a consumer or industrial product. In today’s “informed ... read more >

March 4, 2021

What’s happening with GHS and OSHA? — A Conversation with Karin Baron

This week I sat down with Karin Baron, Senior Regulatory Consultant to B&C and our affiliated consultancy, The Acta Group, to discuss the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). Listeners know GHS is the non-mandatory framework intended to aid in identifying, classifying, and communicating information on the hazards of chemicals or substances for occupational, consumer, and environmental exposures. Despite the “harmonization” part in GHS, there continue to be significant areas of non-harmonization on a global scale that ... read more >

February 18, 2021

How will the New Administration affect the EPA? — A Conversation with James Aidala and Richard E. Engler, Ph.D.

This week, I sat down with Jim Aidala, Senior Government Affairs Consultant, and Dr. Richard Engler, Director of Chemistry, at B&C and its consulting affiliate, The Acta Group. As both of these gentlemen previously worked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, Jim as former Assistant Administrator of that office and Rich as a senior chemist and head of the Green Chemistry Division, each has a keen sense of how EPA prepares for and transitions to a new Administration. After reviewing how a new Administration ... read more >

February 4, 2021

How will the Biden Administration Interpret Amended TSCA? — A Conversation with Richard E. Engler, Ph.D.

A change in Administration invites a sense of both excitement and anxiety. Nowhere is this ambivalence more present that in the minds of regulated entities subject to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). After four years of the Trump Administration’s implementation of the many TSCA amendments occasioned by Lautenberg, regulated entities and other stakeholders have come to understand the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) interpretation of revised TSCA. Not everyone agrees with these views, but they are known. What is unclear is whether the ... read more >

January 21, 2021

One Last Conversation with EPA Assistant Administrator Alexandra Dunn

Download transcript This week I had my final visit with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Assistant Administrator Alexandra Dunn. As many of our listeners know, Alex Dunn lead the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention and was responsible for implementing the nation’s industrial and agricultural chemical laws, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), respectively. Alex has done a superb job since taking office in early 2019, and her steady hand in managing TSCA ... read more >

January 7, 2021

What Happened with the Presidential Election Last Year? — A Conversation with Howard Gutman

Download transcript. This week I sat down with my friend and colleague, Howard Gutman, who served as Ambassador to Belgium in the Obama Administration and is now a consultant for global businesses. Ambassador Gutman addresses a broad range of timely and important topics, including the 2020 elections and what happened exactly, and what CEOs should be thinking about because of the change in Administration, both for U.S.-based and foreign-based businesses. Given Ambassador Gutman’s unique view of global business, we also touch upon the European Union’s precautionary ... read more >

December 17, 2020

Product Stewardship and Circular Economy — A Conversation with Kate Sellers

This week I was thrilled to sit down with Kate Sellers, Technical Director at ERM, where Kate leads multidisciplinary teams to help clients meet their business goals through product stewardship and sustainability initiatives. Kate is immediate past President of the Product Stewardship Society and one of the country’s most visionary leaders in the area of product stewardship. Kate counsels some of the largest companies in the world on optimizing business practices to producer better, safer products in a sustainable and efficient way. I have known Kate for years, ... read more >

December 3, 2020

TSCA and Environmental Justice — A Conversation with Former OPPT Director Jeffery T. Morris, Ph.D.

This week I sat down with Dr. Jeff Morris, immediate past Director of EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), the EPA office that regulates industrial chemicals. Jeff is now a principal of Jeff Morris Solutions LLC, a consulting firm helping entities navigate the complexities of industrial chemical regulation. While at EPA, Jeff directed the Agency’s implementation of the 2016 amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the U.S. law regulating industrial chemicals, and headed the office most immediately impacted by the significant ... read more >

November 12, 2020

Let’s talk about Europe — A Conversation with Bjorn Hansen, Executive Director of ECHA

Download transcript This week, my colleague, Dr. Jane Vergnes, and I sat down with Bjorn Hansen, Executive Director of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). As our listeners may know, ECHA is the European Union (EU) regulatory agency charged with managing the scientific, technical, and administrative aspects of chemical management programs in the EU, including the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), the Classification, Labeling, and Packaging Regulation (CLP), the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR), the Prior Informed Consent ... read more >

October 29, 2020

What’s Going on with the Brexit Transition Period? — A Conversation with Jane S. Vergnes, Ph.D.

This week, I sat down with Dr. Jane Vergnes, Director of Toxicology here at B&C and Vice President, Scientific Affairs, and Director of Toxicology at B&C’s consulting affiliate, The Acta Group. Jane has lead responsibility for our United Kingdom (UK) and Brussels offices and has been deeply engaged in Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) and the impact of Brexit on our European Union (EU), UK, and U.S. clients. Given the fast approaching end of the transition period between the UK and EU, I thought it would be timely to ... read more >

October 15, 2020

How EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs Is Handling COVID-19 -- A Conversation with Lisa Campbell

This week, I sat down with Lisa Campbell, my Partner here at Bergeson & Campbell (B&C®) and its consulting affiliate, The Acta Group (Acta®), and a well-recognized expert on all things regulated under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). With so much attention focused on registering new products to combat COVID-19, we thought it timely to check in again with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) and see what it is up to. OPP has been extraordinarily busy since March keeping up with new products ... read more >

October 1, 2020

EPA and the Election — A Conversation with Jim Aidala

This week, I sat down with Jim Aidala, Senior Government Affairs Consultant at B&C and its consulting affiliate, The Acta Group. As a former Assistant Administrator in what is now the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, Jim has a keen sense of how EPA prepares for and transitions to changes in Administrations. As we prepare for the November elections, we thought it would be good to check-in with Jim and get a sense of how our colleagues at EPA are faring. After reviewing key topics in the pesticide ... read more >

September 17, 2020

A NanoBCA Retrospective — A Conversation with Vincent Caprio

This week I sat down with Vincent Caprio, Founder and Executive Director of the NanoBusiness Commercialization Association (NanoBCA). Vince has been on the forefront of nano innovations and optimizing opportunities for businesses to commercialize their nano creations for more than two decades. In founding the NanoBCA, Vince has placed it at the center of nanotechnology commercialization, national policy, law, and business since the beginning of the public’s focus on nanotechnology. NanoBCA has provided a much-needed spotlight on how nanotechnology has been a critical ... read more >

September 3, 2020

Pesticide Registration in a Pandemic — A Conversation with Sheryl Dolan

This week I sat down with Sheryl Lindros Dolan, Senior Regulatory Consultant at B&C and its consulting affiliate, The Acta Group. Sheryl is on the front line of pesticide registration and engages in a remarkably diverse range of pesticides and pesticide devices. Sheryl is particularly gifted at charting regulatory strategies for new and novel pesticide innovations and other agricultural chemical products like biostimulants, biopesticides, and other chemical products. Sheryl’s training as a scientist and a lawyer is invaluable in guiding clients to obtaining ... read more >

August 19, 2020

Implementing Lautenberg — A Conversation with former OPPT Director Jeffery T. Morris, Ph.D.

This week I sat down with Dr. Jeff Morris, immediate past Director of EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), the EPA office that regulates the industrial chemical sector. Jeff directed EPA’s implementation of the 2016 amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and headed the office most immediately impacted by the significant changes brought about by the Lautenberg amendments. In our discussion, we talk about how Jeff and his OPPT colleagues managed the daunting task of implementing a new law, and how the Agency has fared since the law’s ... read more >

August 6, 2020

What’s going on at EPA right now? — A Conversation with Richard E. Engler, Ph.D.

This week I sat down with Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., B&C’s Director of Chemistry, and all-around TSCA savant. Rich is an organic chemist and a 17-year veteran with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, where Rich managed the Green Chemistry Program and reviewed some 10,000 new chemical notifications. Given all that is going on at EPA with implementing the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, which extensively amended the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), Rich and I discussed a wide range of ... read more >

July 23, 2020

A TSCA Retrospective — A Conversation with Congressman John M. Shimkus

This week I sat down with Congressman John M. Shimkus, a Member of the United States House of Representatives for the 15th District of Illinois. As listeners of the podcast know well, Congressman Shimkus is a senior Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. In this capacity, Congressman Shimkus has become a rock star in the industrial chemical community, given his tireless efforts to modernize the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) , which of course resulted in passage four years ago of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act ... read more >

July 9, 2020

Checking up on EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs — A Conversation with Jim Aidala

This week I sat down with James Aidala, B&C’s Senior Government Affairs Consultant, to catch up on what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) is up to and to get a sense of what we might expect to develop over the remainder of the year. As a former Assistant Administrator of what is now the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, Jim’s thoughts and analyses are always spot on. We discuss leadership within OPP, which is transitioning. Not surprisingly, who holds the position of Office Director is ... read more >

June 25, 2020

TSCA at Four — A Conversation with Alexandra Dunn, OCSPP AA

This week I sat down with EPA Assistant Administrator Alexandra Dunn. As many of our listeners know, Alex Dunn heads the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention and is responsible for implementing the nation’s industrial and agricultural chemical laws, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), respectively. Alex has an extensive background in the environmental field and is a leading voice on TSCA and FIFRA. Prior to Alex’s current role, she served as the Regional Administrator for EPA Region ... read more >

June 11, 2020

TSCA at Four — A Conversation with Richard E. Engler, Ph.D.

As we are now into June, Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) aficionados will be quick to note that “new TSCA” is now almost four years old. Passage in June 2016 of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act occasioned EPA’s implementation of a law that has transformed industrial chemical regulation in the United States. This week, to mark Lautenberg’s fourth birthday, I sat down with Dr. Richard E. Engler, B&C’s Director of Chemistry and all-around expert on all things TSCA, to look back on what EPA stakeholders have ... read more >

May 28, 2020

Back to Work Safely—A Conversation with Larry Sloan, CEO of the AIHA

This week, as employees around the country are returning to their offices and work stations, I was excited to visit with Larry Sloan, CEO of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), located here in the Washington, D.C., area. AIHA may not be a well-known organization to many of our listeners, but that could be about to change. Founded in 1939, AIHA is a non-profit organization serving professionals dedicated to the identification, evaluation, control, and confirmation of environmental stressors in or arising from the workplace. Given AIHA’s extraordinary institutional ... read more >

May 14, 2020

What Is the Difference between a Biostimulant and a Pesticide?

The question posed by this podcast may sound easy, but it is anything but. This podcast explores the fascinating yet commercially vexing jurisdictional divide between and among biostimulants, biopesticides, and fertilizers as each of these agricultural chemical products is vital to the agricultural community. According to a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture report, the plant biostimulant industry alone is expected to be at least a $2.2 billion global market, swelling to $5 billion in 2025. As big as this market is, there is surprisingly a great deal of confusion in markets globally ... read more >

April 30, 2020

EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs and COVID-19 — A Conversation with Richard Keigwin

This week, I was thrilled to sit down with Richard Keigwin, Director of the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) here in Washington, D.C. As OPP Director, Rick leads the EPA office that reviews and approves pesticide products used to combat the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Historically, OPP has consistently been one of the busiest offices in EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP). The pandemic has invited a virtual flood of interest in the next generation of ... read more >

April 16, 2020

Chemical Distribution in the Time of COVID-19 — A Conversation with Eric R. Byer, NACD

This week, I sat down with Eric Byer, President and CEO of the National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD). Eric, like many of us these days, is working hard and under extraordinary circumstances ensuring that his member companies are able to continue to distribute much needed chemical products, including sanitizers and other cleaning products, in response to the pandemic. Our conversation focused on these uniquely “in the moment” issues and a broad range of federal, state, and international issues on which NACD is focused, including extending the Chemical ... read more >

April 2, 2020

COVID-19, FIFRA, and EPA — A Conversation with Lisa Campbell

This week, I sat down with Lisa Campbell, my business partner of many years and one of the nation’s foremost legal experts on the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). Given Lisa’s expertise, we engaged in a very timely discussion about the approval by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of products under FIFRA to combat COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. EPA has been deluged with applications to approve new products and/or new uses of existing products to combat the virus. Lisa explains how antimicrobial pesticide ... read more >

March 19, 2020

EU Classification, Labeling, and Packaging Legislation — A Conversation with Karin Baron

This week, I sat down with my colleague Karin Baron, a senior regulatory consultant here at B&C. In this conversation, Karin talks about recent European Union enforcement initiatives that have to do with the CLP legislation: Classification, Labeling, and Packaging legislation. Karin begins by telling us about the current state of harmonization along the lines of the GHS model, and how this might be more an aspiration than a reality. Then we talk about the history of the CLP legislation: how it was introduced, how it has changed over the years, and what recent changes are doing to bring ... read more >

March 12, 2020

TSCA Update — A Conversation with Richard E. Engler, Ph.D.

This week, I sat down with my colleague, Dr. Richard Engler, Director of Chemistry here at B&C and The Acta Group (Acta®). We brought everyone up to date on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) implementation of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) fee rule and how it applies to entities obligated to pay a portion of the $1,350,000 per chemical fee for preparing an EPA-initiated risk evaluation, the legal and regulatory significance of the supplemental rulemaking on long-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylate (LCPFAC) chemicals and the precedent it sets for ... read more >

February 20, 2020

Pesticide Roundup—A Conversation with Sheryl Dolan

This week, I sat down with my colleague, Sheryl Dolan, a Senior Regulatory Consultant here at Bergeson & Campbell and The Acta Group. As Sheryl’s practice focuses primarily on pesticide matters, we addressed a few hot topics captivating our interest. Sheryl briefed us on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Pesticide Programs’ (OPP) forthcoming move from Crystal City, Virginia, to D.C. later this year, OPP’s recent deployment of its Emerging Pathogen Policy in light of the Coronavirus gripping the world, OPP’s continuing ... read more >

February 6, 2020

Are You Potentially Responsible for TSCA Fees? EPA Issues Preliminary Lists of Companies Responsible for TSCA Risk Evaluation Fees

This week, I sat down with my colleague, Dr. Richard Engler, Bergeson & Campbell’s Director of Chemistry, to discuss what the fuss is over EPA’s January 27, 2020, issuance of a “preliminary list” of companies responsible for the $1,350,000 per-chemical fee EPA charges to conduct a risk evaluation of a high-priority chemical under TSCA Section 6. The scope of the entities “on the hook” is far broader than expected, and companies with little understanding of TSCA may be presumptively liable for these fees and TSCA enforcement scrutiny for failure to ... read more >

January 15, 2020

Bergeson & Campbell’s Forecast 2020

This week, I sat down with my colleagues Sheryl Lindros Dolan, Chris Bryant, and Dr. Richard Engler to discuss our fabulous 2020 Forecast, B&C’s and The Acta Group’s (Acta®) richly detailed overview of key trends in U.S. and global chemical law and policy. This 67-page document provides a comprehensive “one-stop” overview of global initiatives for the New Year of which stakeholders in the global chemical market must be aware. My colleagues provide a spirited overview of key developments, speculate on the impact of the U.S. general elections later this year, and ... read more >

December 19, 2019

RCRA Rundown: Hazardous Waste and Sustainable Removal

This week, I sat down with my colleague Christopher Bryant, a Senior Regulatory Consultant here at Bergeson & Campbell. Chris has over 25 years of experience in environmental, health, and safety compliance, and, in particular, hazardous waste management and regulation under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). I asked Chris to the studio to speak with me about RCRA: what it is, how the law has developed, what is covered under it, and how we might expect -- or hope -- it to change for the better. We discussed the history and stated goals of RCRA, and why, in our ... read more >

November 21, 2019

Waiting for Lautenberg: A Conversation with Jim Jones

This week, I sat down with Jim Jones, Executive Vice President Strategic Alliances & Industry Relations at the HCPA, or Household & Commercial Products Association. Before moving into the private sector, as many of our listeners know, Jim served a long and very distinguished career with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C. Jim began his career in the toxics office, specifically in pesticides, and eventually served as Assistant Administrator of the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention in the Obama Administration. We talk about Jim’s ... read more >

October 31, 2019

How Do We Know if a New Technology Is Safe?

This week, I moderated a spirited discussion with two members of the B&C team: Sheryl Dolan, a senior regulatory consultant who specializes in agricultural and biocidal chemical product registration and defense, and Dr. Richard Engler, our Director of Chemistry and a 17-year-veteran of EPA. Both Sheryl and Rich are expert in marshaling new product chemical technologies through the gauntlet of federal, state, and international chemical product approval. Throughout our discussion, Sheryl and Rich walk us through what it takes to bring a new technology to EPA (or any other ... read more >

October 10, 2019

Food Quality, New TSCA, and Much More: A Conversation with Lynn R. Goldman, Dean, Milken Institute School of Public Health at GWU

This week, I sat down with Lynn R. Goldman, M.D., M.S., M.P.H., Michael and Lori Milken Dean, Milken Institute School of Public Health; Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health. Dr. Goldman is widely regarded as one of the most influential public health physicians of our time and served as Assistant Administrator for Toxic Substances in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 1993 through 1998 under President Bill Clinton. During her tenure, Dr. Goldman and her team are credited with implementing the 1996 amendments to our nation’s pesticide law, the ... read more >

September 19, 2019

South Korea’s K-REACH: Why it Matters for Everyone with Karin Baron

This week, we have B&C’s and The Acta Group’s Senior Regulatory Consultant, Karin Baron, back in the studio to discuss K-REACH, its recent amendment, and potential harmonization of chemical regulations in the region. K-REACH is the South Korean government’s industrial chemical substance registration program signed into law in 2013, and effective in 2015. Karin is uniquely well-suited to provide practice tips and information on why our listeners should be aware of what is going on with this South Korea chemical regulatory program. As a ... read more >

September 5, 2019

Celebrating the Environmental Law Institute’s 50th Anniversary with President Scott Fulton

This week, I sat down with Scott Fulton, President of the Environmental Law Institute, on the occasion of ELI’s 50th anniversary. Scott is ELI’s 5th President. As a former ELI Board member myself and a practicing lawyer in the environmental space, I have known Scott for years given his many high profile roles as a former EPA General Counsel, Assistant Chief of the Environmental Enforcement Section at the U.S. Department of Justice, among other prominent positions. In our conversation, Scott explains the various lines of work in which the ELI is currently engaged, how ... read more >

August 15, 2019

All Things Nano with Lisa E. Friedersdorf, Ph.D.

This week, I sat down with Dr. Lisa E. Friedersdorf, the Director of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (or NNCO) to discuss all things nano. For anyone in the nano space, Lisa is a rock star and well known to all. To those less familiar, Lisa joined NNCO several years ago, having served as the Associate Director of the Materials Research Center at Lehigh University and Director of the Industry Liaison Program. Lisa was also Director of the Virginia Nanotechnology Initiative. While with the University of Virginia, Lisa served as managing director of the nano STAR ... read more >

July 25, 2019

Food Security and World Hunger with Katherine Meighan, International Fund for Agricultural Development

Last October, at the Annual Meeting of the International Bar Association in Rome, I was fortunate enough to be introduced to Katherine Meighan, the General Counsel of IFAD, the International Fund for Agricultural Development. Katherine gave an eye-opening presentation at the IBA conference on IFAD’s efforts to address the issue of food security and world hunger, and I knew I had to have her on the podcast to share her message and to dig deeper into her work as General Counsel and IFAD’s incredible work in general. Katherine’s unique background has served her ... read more >

June 20, 2019

Environmental Compliance and Enforcement with Environmental Integrity Projects’ Eric Schaeffer

This week, I sat down with a highly-regarded member of the environmental NGO community, Eric Schaeffer, who currently serves as the Executive Director of the Environmental Integrity Project, which he co-founded in 2002. Previously, Eric worked for more than a decade at EPA, including a five-year stint as the Director of EPA’s Office of Civil Enforcement, which, as you will hear in our conversation, was a very formative time for his thinking. At a time when some news outlets and EPA detractors are reporting environmental enforcement numbers to be at historic lows, Eric and I had a great ... read more >

May 28, 2019

Inside OCSPP with EPA Assistant Administrator Alexandra Dapolito Dunn

I am so pleased to present a very special guest this week, the Assistant Administrator for EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP): Alexandra Dunn. Alex’s professional training could not be more perfect. Alex is a lawyer and has practiced in both the private and non-profit sectors. Alex has taught environmental law at several law schools and, while Dean of Environmental Law Programs at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, focused on environmental justice, a subject on which Alex has written and lectured ... read more >

April 25, 2019

Innovation and New Chemicals in the TSCA Program

We have a repeat guest this week: fan favorite, Dr. Richard Engler, Bergeson & Campbell’s Director of Chemistry and Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) guru-in-residence. I sat down with Rich to find out more about so-called “New Chemicals” and the challenges faced by not only new chemical manufacturers, but also by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in trying to fulfill its duties as a regulatory gatekeeper. As a seasoned veteran of EPA himself, where he worked for 17 years in the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics’ (OPPT) Green Chemistry ... read more >

April 11, 2019

Ambassador Howard Gutman on What Every CEO Needs to Know Right Now

This week, I invited my friend and business colleague, the former U.S. Ambassador to Belgium, Howard Gutman, into the studio to talk about what every CEO needs to know about the world right now. I know I say this a lot, but it is really true this time around: We covered a lot of ground in this conversation. Howard provides his perspective on what to pay attention to with regard to Brexit, energy policy, climate change, trade, the globalized economy, and the 2020 presidential election. Howard also provides advice on how to manage business perception, create opportunities ... read more >

March 28, 2019

Look Ahead at 2019 with Lynn Bergeson and Jim Aidala

This week, I sat down with my colleague Jim Aidala, a Senior Government Affairs Consultant here at the firm, to discuss 2019 and the state of industrial and agricultural chemical regulation: what is to come, what to expect, and how we can prepare for it. We begin, of course, by looking at 2018, chiefly, the appointment and confirmation of Alexandra Dunn, the new EPA Assistant Administrator in the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, the office tasked with administering TSCA and FIFRA. Jim fills us in on EPA’s current and projected workload and what can be expected ... read more >

March 14, 2019

Trade Roundtable with Daniella Taveau and Daniel R. Pearson

This week, we offer something a little different. My colleague Christopher Bryant, a senior regulatory consultant here at the firm, invited Daniella Taveau and Daniel Pearson into our studio to sit down and talk about trade issues. As you will hear, their conversation ranged far and wide, hitting upon all aspects of the trade discussion which might be relevant to anyone working in the chemical manufacturing space. Listeners will hear about developing a historical context in which to understand the U.S.’ shifting trade policies; analysis and speculation about ... read more >

February 28, 2019

Pesticides: Navigating New Technologies under FIFRA

This week, I sat down with my colleague Sheryl Dolan, a senior regulatory consultant here at Bergeson & Campbell, to discuss all things pesticides: past, present, and future. In our discussion, Sheryl provides the historical and legal/regulatory background necessary to understand the current state of pesticide regulation, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) manages under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, or FIFRA, as we like to call it. Among other interesting topics, Sheryl sheds light on the legal and regulatory differences between conventional ... read more >

February 7, 2019

EU Food Contact Materials Legislation

Recently, the European Commission kicked-off a process to evaluate and likely revise the current EU Food Contact Materials (FCM) legislation. Now, this is a big deal for any stakeholders in this space—domestic or European -- considering that the current legislation has been in in-place for many years and the proliferation of national standards has greatly complicated an already complex area. That is why I was excited when Renato Addis, of the Brussels-based regulatory consulting firm EPPA and this week’s guest, told me that he had been invited to participate in this kick-off ... read more >

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