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On June 1, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it took “three important steps” intended to ensure chemical safety under the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (Lautenberg Act), which amended the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).  EPA released the following for public comment:  (1) the first ten problem formulation documents, (2) EPA’s systemic review approach document, and (3) a significant new use rule (SNUR)...

The Acta Group (Acta®) and Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) are pleased to announce that Richard E. Engler, Ph.D. has been named Director of Chemistry for our firms. Dr. Engler joined Acta and B&C as Senior Chemist in January 2015 after nearly two decades at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) and has offered his extensive understanding of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and other...

Monday, June 25, 201811:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (EDT)Register Today Since enactment on June 22, 2016, of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has implemented a muscular regulatory program expressing Congress’ intent for a new and improved Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).  The new TSCA framework required significant work and fundamental shifts in regulatory...

On June 4, 2018, Charles M. Auer, Senior Regulatory and Policy Advisor with The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted in the Inside EPA article “Eying 2018 Deadline, EPA Taps New Division Heads For Reorganized OPPT.” The new reorganization plan is winning approval from former officials. Charles Auer, former director of OPPT and now with the law firm of Bergeson & Campbell, wrote in a recent blog post that dividing the offices to focus on new and existing chemicals...

AUSTRALIA Australia Updates HCIS, Including Amended GHS Classifications: Safe Work Australia (SWA) announced on May 9, 2018, that it completed an update of the Hazardous Chemical Information System (HCIS), a web-based system that provides information on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) classifications, as well as workplace exposure standards. The update incorporates classification...

On May 31, 2018, Christopher R. Bryant, Senior Regulatory Specialist, The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted in the Bloomberg Environment article “EPA Backs Recycling Formerly ‘Hazardous’ Materials, But States Get Final Say.” This quote was also featured as the “Quote of the Day” in Bloomberg Environment’s daily First Move email. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new definition of solid waste “allows more material—like...

Responding to July 2017 and March 2018 orders issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on May 30, 2018, issued a final rule revising the Definition of Solid Waste (DSW) under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). 83 Fed. Reg. 24664. In a somewhat unusual move, EPA relied upon Section 553 of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) to make the rule immediately effective and dispensed with notice and public...

On May 29, 2018, Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Director of Chemistry, The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted by Bloomberg Environment regarding a proposed rule that would require scientific data be sufficiently available to the public so that interested parties could understand how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reached its conclusions. “[D]ecisions the EPA makes about whether to allow new chemicals into commerce would largely be unaffected, Richard Engler, a...

On May 23, 2018, Bloomberg Environment quoted Lynn L. Bergeson, President, The Acta Group (Acta®) regarding Erik Baptist, senior deputy general counsel, joining EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) as a deputy assistant administrator and senior counsel.  Other regulatory offices within the EPA have attorneys to help them, Lynn Bergeson, managing partner with the Washington, D.C., office of Bergeson & Campbell, P.C., told Bloomberg...

Any company that plans to submit or has pending a new chemical notification under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) needs to join the TSCA New Chemicals Coalition (TSCA NCC) -- the only coalition focused principally on TSCA Section 5 issues. The TSCA NCC has been relentlessly engaging with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and Congress on identifying and addressing real-world issues arising out of EPA’s...