All Knowledge & Insights By Date

On July 12, 2018, Bloomberg Environment included comments from James V. Aidala, Vice President, Policy and Government Affairs with The Acta Group (Acta®) regarding difficulties that the Trump administration may face in nominating a head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA)  chemicals and pesticides office after a difficult confirmation process caused the former nominee, Michael Dourson, to withdraw. Beck could be a candidate for the assistant...

On July 12, 2018, Bloomberg Environment quoted James V. Aidala, Vice President, Policy and Government Affairs with The Acta Group (Acta®) regarding Acting Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Andrew Wheeler’s experience with the chemical regulatory landscape.  The EPA’s new acting administrator is more familiar than past agency heads were with the nation’s primary chemicals statute, giving him insight into tensions arising in...

On June 19, 2018, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (National Academies) published a press release announcing the availability of a final report entitled Biodefense in the Age of Synthetic Biology. According to the National Academies, the final report concludes that “[s]ynthetic biology expands the possibilities for creating new weapons -- including making existing bacteria and viruses more harmful -- while decreasing the time required to...

On June 22, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its Strategic Plan to Promote the Development and Implementation of Alternative Test Methods Within the TSCA Program.  Development of the Strategic Plan was required under Section 4(h)(2)(A) of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act with a deadline of not later than two years after enactment.  Release of the final Strategic Plan occurred on the second anniversary of...

Bergeson & Campbell P.C. (B&C®) will present a webinar regarding confidential business information (CBI) as related to chemical regulation on September 18, 2018. Register for “TSCA Confidential Business Information and Generic Naming: Analyzing the New Rules” online.  This webinar is part of the 2018 Chemical Policy Summit Series presented by B&C and Bloomberg Next. On June 21, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued guidance...

On June 25, 2018, Bloomberg Environment included quotes from The Acta Group (Acta®) affiliate Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®)’s “TSCA at 2: An Update on Implementation and Hot Topics” webinar in the article “Chemical Companies Get Flexibility in Data Submissions, May Cut Costs.” The EPA will start asking chemical manufacturers to provide certain types of health, ecological, or other data for new chemicals instead of directing them to conduct specific...

On June 25, 2018, Bloomberg Environment included quotes from The Acta Group (Acta®) affiliate Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®)’s “TSCA at 2: An Update on Implementation and Hot Topics” webinar in the article “New Chemical Reviews, Regulations Said to Impede Commerce.” The growing number of rules that are accompanying new chemicals is causing marketplace problems, said Michael Gould, environmental, health, and safety committee chairman with RadTech...

On June 22, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a prepublication version of the final rule regarding reporting requirements for applicable persons to provide information to assist in the preparation of an “inventory of mercury supply, use, and trade in the United States,” where “mercury” is defined as “elemental mercury” and “a mercury compound” (mercury). Section 8(b)(10)(B) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), as amended by the Frank...

On June 22, 2018, Brian Xu, M.D., Ph.D., DABT®, Toxicologist with The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted by Nature regarding proposed Chinese tariffs on U.S. chemicals and scientific equipment. Brian Xu, a toxicologist for the scientific consulting firm ACTA in Washington DC, which works with businesses in mainland China, agrees that China’s proposal to place tariffs on US chemicals and scientific equipment is unlikely to have a major effect on Chinese research. He notes...

On June 22, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it has met its statutory responsibilities under the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (Lautenberg Act) to release guidance and policy on confidential business information (CBI), a strategy to reduce animal testing, and a final mercury reporting rule. As noted in our June 29, 2016, memorandum, “TSCA Reform: EPA Publishes First Year Implementation Plan,” the Lautenberg Act...