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On May 2, 2025, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the “[n]ext phase of organizational improvements to better integrate science into agency offices.” As part of this reorganization effort, Administrator Zeldin introduced the creation of the Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions (OASES) within the Office of the Administrator. According to Zeldin, OASES will “align research and put science at the forefront of the agency’s...

President Donald Trump’s initial 100 days in office during his second term have marked a significant shift in the United States’ approach to chemical regulation, emphasizing deregulation and industry facilitation over more traditional environmental and public health safeguards. President Trump’s actions, inactions, and policy choices during his first 100 days seem to have come at a cost, as polls show his approval rating has decreased to 39 percent, an 80-year low for a...

On April 28, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) outlined upcoming Agency action to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). According to EPA’s announcement, “[i]n line with Administrator Zeldin’s Powering the Great American Comeback initiative, EPA’s work in this space will advance Pillar 1: Clean Air, Land, and Water for Every American, and Pillar 3: Permitting Reform, Cooperative Federalism, and Cross-Agency Partnership.” EPA states that these actions...

Register now to join Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) affiliate The Acta Group (Acta®) and EPPA for “PFAS Updates: What’s Happening in the U.S. and EU,” a complimentary webinar offering expert updates on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) regulatory developments. These substances are attracting global legal, regulatory, commercial, and litigation attention as no other “emerging contaminant” has. While the U.S. Administration is new, PFAS regulation continues at a...

This June marks the ninth anniversary of the enactment of the game-changing Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (Lautenberg) that amended the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). With a new Trump Administration and the relentless pace of regulatory developments related to Lautenberg implementation, there are many issues to consider and problems to solve. Save the date to join Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), and the George...

On March 19, 2025, comments by Lynn L. Bergeson were featured in Chemical & Engineering News’ article regarding delays by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on hazardous substance restrictions. The EPA and industry both want certainty regarding the agency’s legal positions, say lawyers who work closely with chemical companies. “Industry would like predictability and certainty so it can plan accordingly,” says Lynn Bergeson, managing partner at the Washington,...

On January 17, 2025, days before the end of President Biden’s term, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released two new enforcement documents: (1) Expedited Settlement Agreement (ESA) Pilot Program Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) (FIFRA Settlement Pilot Program or Pilot Program); and (2) Interim Consolidated Enforcement Response and Penalty Policy (Interim CERPP) for the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) New and Existing Chemicals Program....

On March 10, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its intent to reconsider the May 3, 2024, rule amending the procedural framework rule for conducting risk evaluations under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) (2024 Risk Evaluation Framework Rule). According to EPA, it will initiate a rulemaking “that will ensure the agency can efficiently and effectively protect human health and the environment and follow the law.” As reported in our February 7, 2025,...

This week, I discuss with my colleagues, Dr. Richard E. Engler, Director of Chemistry for B&C and The Acta Group (Acta®), our consulting affiliate, and Kelly N. Garson, Senior Associate for B&C and Acta, our recently released book, titled Chemical Product Law and Supply Chain Stewardship: A Guide to New TSCA, published by the American Bar Association. As listeners know, as a law firm and consulting firm, we do a lot of work under the Toxic Substances Control Act...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) is pleased to announce the release by American Bar Association (ABA) Publishing of Chemical Product Law and Supply Chain Stewardship: A Guide to New TSCA, edited by B&C Managing Partner Lynn L. Bergeson and authored by Ms. Bergeson and members of B&C’s highly experienced Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) practice group. This invaluable guide provides a road map to navigate efficiently the transformational changes in chemical product law,...

It’s been almost nine years since Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) stakeholders celebrated President Obama’s enactment of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (Lautenberg) on June 22, 2016. Because the road to amending TSCA was long (almost a decade), contentious and complicated, stakeholders may have been more relieved that the process was finally over than interested in the fine print....

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has published the Developments in Delegations on the Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials and Advanced Materials between July 2023 and June 2024 — Tour de Table (Tour de Table). The Tour de Table lists U.S. developments on the human health and environmental safety of nanomaterials. Risk assessment decisions, including the type of nanomaterials assessed, testing recommended, and outcomes of the assessment include: The Tour de...

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...

A key force propelling reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act through Congress in 2016 was a bipartisan belief, shared by the business and environmental communities alike, that the Environmental Protection Agency needs more information to do its job of protecting the American public from adverse effects caused by chemical exposures. After all, it has been domestic policy under TSCA for almost a half century that “adequate information should be developed . . . and...

It has been almost nine years since Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) stakeholders celebrated President Obama’s enactment on June 22, 2016, of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (Lautenberg). Because the road to amending TSCA was long (almost a decade), contentious, and complicated, stakeholders were perhaps more relieved that the process was finally over than inclined to focus on the fine print. This article discusses mid-course corrections that are desperately...

On January 16, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of and requested public comment on the draft scope of the risk evaluation to be conducted under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for vinyl chloride. 90 Fed. Reg. 4738. EPA notes that under TSCA, the scope documents must include the conditions of use (COU), hazards, exposures, and the potentially exposed or susceptible subpopulations (PESS) that EPA expects to consider in conducting...

On January 14, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a proposed rule to address the unreasonable risk of injury to human health presented by Color Index (C.I.) Pigment Violet 29 (PV29) under its conditions of use (COU) as documented in EPA’s January 2021 risk evaluation and September 2022 revised risk determination. 90 Fed. Reg. 3107. The proposed rule states that the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) requires that EPA address by rule any...

On January 17, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of the latest Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Inventory. The TSCA Inventory lists all existing chemical substances manufactured, processed, or imported in the United States under TSCA that do not otherwise qualify for an exemption or exclusion. EPA states that “[t]his biannual update to the public TSCA Inventory is part of EPA’s regular posting of non-confidential TSCA Inventory data.” EPA plans...

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...