On March 20, 2025, House Republicans passed the “Big Beautiful Bill” (BBB) as part of H.R. 1, a sweeping legislative package that includes dramatic rollbacks of many of the clean energy tax credits established under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). While the bill has little chance of advancing in the Senate in its current form, its proposed cuts offer a window into shifting political priorities and could have significant implications for the U.S. clean energy...
Archives
May 21, 2025
Congress and the Feds — the Impact of Nonperformance
Ponder the following existential question: Who does their job less effectively? Members of Congress, or employees of federal agencies? Let’s examine the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employees versus those responsible for legislating environmental laws. Congress has not been able to reauthorize environmental statutes for years, with some (most) needing significant attention. EPA relies on 1990 Clean Air Act amendments to sort out air pollution issues and address climate change...
February 7, 2025
EPA Administrator Zeldin Announces Five Pillar Initiative to Guide EPA; What Does It Mean for OCSPP?
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin on February 4, 2025, announced the “Powering the Great American Comeback Initiative” (PGAC Initiative). It consists of five pillars and is intended to serve as a roadmap to guide EPA’s actions under Administrator Zeldin. The five pillars are: Administrator Zeldin explained Pillar 3 by stating, “Any business that wants to invest in America should be able to do so without having to face years-long, uncertain, and...
January 24, 2025
TSCA in the Spotlight: TSCA Is Focus of First Energy & Commerce Hearing of 119th Congress; GAO Issues Report on New Chemicals Program
In a development no one could have predicted several weeks ago, the first hearing of the 119th Congress in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce (E&C) focused on the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and amendments to TSCA that were enacted more than eight years ago. The E&C Subcommittee on Environment (the Subcommittee) hearing on January 22, 2025, “A Decade Later: Assessing the Legacy and Impact of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for...
January 24, 2025
Congressional Review Act: Resolution of Disapproval of EPA’s TCE Rule Introduced in the House of Representatives
Representatives Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) introduced H.J. Res. 27, a resolution expressing congressional disapproval of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) rule on trichloroethylene (TCE). This joint resolution is an attempt to use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overturn EPA’s recent TCE rule issued under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Introduction of a resolution of disapproval is the first step in the process of overturning a...
January 23, 2025
EPA Administrator Nominee Advances to Senate for Confirmation Vote: Nomination Hearing Highlights
The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) on January 23, 2025, advanced the nomination of Lee Zeldin to the full Senate for a vote to confirm him as the next Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The 11-8 vote to advance the nomination was largely along party lines, with Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) as the only Democrat to vote in favor of advancing Zeldin’s nomination. Zeldin is expected to be confirmed...
January 17, 2025
House Subcommittee Announces Hearing on Toxic Substances Control Act for January 22, 2025
The Subcommittee on Environment of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce has announced that its first hearing of the 119th Congress will focus on the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The hearing, “A Decade Later: Assessing the Legacy and Impact of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act,” is scheduled for January 22, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. in Room 2123 of the Rayburn House Office Building and will be webcast....
Senator Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV), Chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), has scheduled a hearing on the Nomination of Lee Zeldin to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for Thursday, January 16, at 10:00 a.m. The hearing will be held in room 406 of the Senate Dirksen Office Building and will be viewable by webcast as well. It will be interesting to hear what Mr. Zeldin shares about...
January 6, 2025
The 119th Congress — Day 1 — A Tale of Two Legislative Bodies and the Beginning of a Busy Year
The opening hours of the 119th Congress provided an interesting look at the two bodies of Congress, the United States House of Representatives (House) and the United States Senate (Senate), and offered a glimpse of what to expect from the leaders of those bodies during the next two years. While Republicans control the House and the Senate, their slim majorities will present challenges in legislating during the 119th Congress. In the House, it will take...
Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), its global consulting affiliate The Acta Group (Acta®), and consortia management affiliate B&C® Consortia Management, L.L.C. (BCCM) are pleased to share with you our 2025 Forecast. For all the reasons you might imagine, our seasoned team was especially challenged this year in speculating on what to expect in 2025 regarding global industrial, agricultural, and biocidal chemical regulatory and policy initiatives. Given the European Parliamentary...