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Jim Aidala is a Vice President, Policy and Government Affairs with The Acta Group (Acta^®) and a critical ally for any client addressing chemical policy, legislative, and related issues. He has been intimately involved with the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) legislative reauthorization and key regulatory matters for over four decades. Mr. Aidala brings extensive legislative experience on Capitol Hill and past experience as the senior official at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for pesticide and chemical regulation, and provides clients with vital insights into not only relevant current policies of EPA and sister agencies, but also the way these policies have been or are likely to be formulated to help clients more successfully address regulatory matters. This unmatched wealth of experience allows him to explain, interpret, and predict EPA policies to help clients resolve or address their issues.

Previous to joining Acta, he was former Assistant Administrator for EPA's Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) (now the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention). As Associate Assistant Administrator for OPPTS, he led the team responsible for legislative drafting of the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act.

Together with his previous positions at high levels of government agencies, Mr. Aidala has 30 years of experience in both the legislative and executive branch in a variety of senior positions. He offers extensive involvement in both crafting and implementing the legislative and regulatory policies that underlie current EPA regulatory policies and practices for regulating pesticides and chemicals.

Before joining EPA, Mr. Aidala was a senior professional staff member on the Government Operations Committee, Subcommittee on Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources in the U.S. House of Representatives. While there, he was in charge of oversight of EPA's implementation of FIFRA and TSCA from 1991-1993. Regarding biotechnology, as part of his EPA experience, Mr. Aidala was extensively involved in the development of EPA’s biotechnology regulations issued under both FIFRA and TSCA, and EPA policies affecting insect resistance management plans and possible impacts on non-target species such as Monarch butterflies.

Mr. Aidala also served as Director of Policy Development at the Wallace Institute for Alternative Agriculture, as a policy expert on FIFRA and TSCA at the Congressional Research Service, and as a staff member for the U.S. Senate Committee on Government Affairs, Subcommittee on Energy.

Mr. Aidala has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, USA Today, National Public Radio, and CBS’s 48 Hours. Interviews with national media include the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, National Public Radio, CBS News, Chemical Week, and Chemical Engineering News. Mr. Aidala has provided past Congressional testimony before the following committees:

• House Committee on Agriculture
• Senate Committee on Agriculture
• Senate Environment Committee
• House Energy and Commerce Committee
• House Appropriations Committee
• Senate Appropriations Committee

Representative Engagements:

• Successfully sought EPA's written clarification of policy interpretation, which saved a client over $900,000 in a commercial dispute between pesticide registrants.
• Convinced EPA that its interpretation of certain food tolerance requirements was incorrect, which otherwise would have eliminated all uses of a client’s product. The product continues to be available on the market today.
• Advised a client regularly over an extended period about EPA actions regarding the possible phase-out of a product, to ensure that an orderly transition to alternative technology was achieved with minimal market disruption.
• Appeared as an expert witness in trials where potential damage claims total hundreds of millions of dollars.
• Routinely counsels clients on how to best approach officials at all levels of regulatory bodies to ensure that the most accurate scientific information and legal arguments are incorporated into pending decisions.

Publications:

Lisa M. Campbell, Timothy D. Backstrom, and James V. Aidala, "EPA’s Evaluation and Determination of Epidemiological Data for Chlorpyrifos," ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources PCRRTK Newsletter, Volume 18, Issue 5, August 2017.

Lynn L. Bergeson, James V. Aidala, Jr., Charles M. Auer, Richard Engler, and Oscar Hernandez, "Practitioner Insights: Enhancing TSCA Reform Implementation," Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report, August 2, 2017.

Charles M. Auer, James V. Aidala, Lynn L. Bergeson, "TSCA Reform Legislation and Its Workability: Thoughts on Steps to Help Ensure Successful Implementation at the Outset and Over Time," Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report, July 23, 2015.

Lisa M. Campbell, James V. Aidala, Susan Hunter Youngren, "EPA Guidance on Pesticide Drift Will Affect Product Registrations," CPDA Quarterly, June, 2014.

James V. Aidala, "Neonicotinoids: EPA’s New Get-Tough Measures," Law360, September 25, 2013.

Lynn L. Bergeson, James V. Aidala, and Charles M. Auer, "2012 Predictions For TSCA Reform And EPA Initiatives," Law360, January 19, 2012.

James V. Aidala (expert panel member), "TSCA Reform: The Standard of Safety," Environmental Law Reporter News & Analysis, December 2011.

Lynn L. Bergeson, James V. Aidala, and Charles M. Auer, "The Nuances Of ‘Nano’ In Pesticide Products," Law360, July 1, 2011.

Lynn L. Bergeson, James V. Aidala, and Charles M. Auer, "Principles For Regulating Nanotech," Law 360, June 15, 2011.

Lynn L. Bergeson, James V. Aidala, and Charles M. Auer,"The Devilish Details Of TSCA Reform," Law360, April 27, 2011.

James V. Aidala, "Tracking Disease Clusters and Environmental Health," Law360, April 7, 2011.

James V. Aidala, "Make My Day! - Registrant Gets Court To Order EPA To Cancel Their Product," Pesticide and Chemical Policy, February 4, 2011.

Lynn L. Bergeson and James V. Aidala, "How the Elections Could Impact the EPA," Law 360, November 9, 2010.

James V. Aidala, Jr., Charles M. Auer, Lynn R. Goldman, M.D., and James B. Gulliford, "Practical Advice for TSCA Reform: An Insider Perspective," The American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources Special Committee on TSCA Reform, August 2010.

James V. Aidala, "The Toxic Substances Control Act: From the Perspective of James V. Aidala," interviewed by Chemical Heritage Foundation, May 20, 2010.

Lynn L. Bergeson, James V. Aidala, and Charles M. Auer, "EPA’s Action Plans Signal a New Chapter for TSCA While Informing the Future Legislative Debate on Chemicals," Environmental Law Reporter, March 2010.

Speaking Engagements:

“WEBINAR -- FIFRA Hot Topics," Bergeson & Campbell, P.C., (April 20, 2022).

“WEBINAR -- What to Expect in Chemicals in 2022,” Bergeson & Campbell, P.C., (January 26, 2022).

“What To Expect When You’re Electing (a New President),” Bergeson & Campbell, P.C., (January 28, 2021).

"Pesticides, Farmworkers, Industry, and Environmental Justice," Environmental Law Institute, (October 1, 2020).

"Understanding Pesticide Regulation and the 9th circuit Dicamba Decision," American Agricultural Law Association, (June 26, 2020).

“WEBINAR -- FIFRA Hot Topics,” Bloomberg BNA and Bergeson & Campbell, P.C., (April 10, 2018).

“WEBINAR -- Chemical Regulation in 2018: A Sneak Preview of Things to Come,” Bloomberg BNA and Bergeson & Campbell, P.C., (February 8, 2018).

“Current US Regulatory Process,” 2016 XXV International Congress of Entomology, Orlando, Florida (September 28, 2016).

"Pesticides 2016: Public Policy Forecast," National Pest Management Association (NPMA) Legislative Day, Washington, D.C. (March 14, 2016).

"TSCA Reform Panel Summit: What's Happening Now, and What's Next?" B&C, Environmental Law Institute (ELI), George Washington University (GWU) Law School, and GWU Milken Institute School of Public Health Seminar and Webinar, Washington, D.C. (November 19, 2015).

"Neonicotinoids and Colony Collapse Disorder: Regulating and Product Stewardship in the Face of Uncertainty," Environmental Law Institute (ELI) Webinar (February 24, 2015).

"Natural Resources -- Pollinators and Bee Health: State-Federal Partnerships," National Association of State Departments of Agriculture 2015 Winter Policy Conference, Washington, D.C. (February 3, 2015).

"Spray Drift, Volatilization, and Pesticide Registration Review: How to Navigate the Issues," B&C Webinar (October 1, 2014).

"TSCA Update: Regulatory Life Beyond This Year's Stalled Legislation," Prop65 Clearinghouse, 2014 Green Chemistry Conference, San Francisco, California (September 16, 2014).

"Pesticide Issues 2014: Pollinators, Spray Drift, ESA, EPA Budget and Workforce, Communicating Science, Obama 2^nd Term Agenda, Congressional Oversight and Outlook," Association of American Pesticide Control Officials Spring Meeting, Arlington, Virginia (March 10, 2014).

"U.S. Regulatory Oversight of Pesticides," Hawaii Farm Bureau meeting, Honolulu, Hawaii (December 9, 2013).

"TSCA Outlook," Council of Chemical Association Executives (October 31, 2012).