Category: General

March 18, 2022

House Committee Holds Hearing on Bioenergy RD&D for the Fuels and Chemicals of Tomorrow

On March 16, 2022, the House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Energy held a hearing on “Bioenergy Research and Development for the Fuels and Chemicals of Tomorrow.” According to the hearing charter, the purpose of the hearing was to examine the status of bioenergy research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) activities carried out by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The hearing also considered advancements in bioenergy research and the potential role of this...
March 17, 2022

Karin F. Baron, MSPH, Elected to Society for Chemical Hazard Communication Board of Directors

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and The Acta Group (Acta®) are pleased to announce that Karin F. Baron, MSPH, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Society for Chemical Hazard Communication. Ms. Baron, a Senior Regulatory Consultant with B&C and Acta, will serve a two-year term. Ms. Baron has participated as an active member of SCHC for the past 20 years; she is the immediate past Chair of the Professional Development Committee. We are especially pleased that Ms....
March 17, 2022

EPA Actions to Address PFAS in Commerce Include TSCA Compliance Notification Letter on PFAS in HDPE Containers

On March 16, 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced two actions intended to safeguard communities from products containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). First, as part of EPA’s efforts to identify, understand, and address PFAS contamination leaching from fluorinated containers, EPA states that it is notifying companies of their obligation to comply with existing requirements under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to ensure unintentional...
March 15, 2022

Lynn L. Bergeson Quoted in Chemical Watch Article “Stakeholders clash over chlor-alkali restrictions under imminent TSCA asbestos rule”

On March 14, 2022, Lynn L. Bergeson, President, The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted by Chemical Watch regarding conflicting visions for the upcoming asbestos Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) risk management rule. Lynn Bergeson, managing partner at law firm Bergeson & Campbell, told Chemical Watch the EPA must look at the availability of "technically and economically feasible alternatives that benefit health or the environment" when adopting risk...
March 15, 2022

Acta affiliate B&C Quoted in Chemical Watch Article “Plan to exclude PPE from TSCA risk evaluations sparks industry outcry”

On March 14, 2022, The Acta Group (Acta®) affiliate Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) was quoted by Chemical Watch on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) decision to no longer consider personal protective equipment (PPE) use in Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) risk evaluations.  Law firm Bergeson & Campbell said assuming PPE will not be used, including in cases where required by the Occupational Safety and Health...
March 14, 2022

EPA Posts Draft Document on “Modernizing the Process and Bringing Innovative Science to Evaluate New Chemicals Under TSCA”

As reported in our February 25, 2022, blog item, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on February 25, 2022, the proposed Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) New Chemicals Collaborative Research Program. 87 Fed. Reg. 10784. On March 10, 2022, EPA posted the draft document entitled “Modernizing the Process and Bringing Innovative Science to Evaluate New Chemicals Under TSCA.” The Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) proposes to...
March 8, 2022

EPA Publishes Final Scope of D4 Risk Evaluation, Seeks Comment on Draft Revision to PV29 Risk Determination

On March 7, 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of the final scope of the risk evaluation to be conducted for octamethylcyclotetra-siloxane (D4), a chemical substance for which EPA received a manufacturer request for risk evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). 87 Fed. Reg. 12696. The scope document includes the conditions of use (COU), hazards, exposures, and the potentially exposed or susceptible subpopulations (PESS)...
March 7, 2022

EPA Will Extend Compliance Dates for Articles Containing PIP (3:1)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on March 4, 2022, that EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan signed a final rule on March 3, 2022, that will amend the regulations applicable to phenol, isopropylated phosphate (3:1) (PIP (3:1)) promulgated under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). EPA states that it is extending the compliance date applicable to the prohibition on processing and distribution in commerce of certain PIP (3:1)-containing articles, and the PIP (3:1) used to...
March 2, 2022

Lynn L. Bergeson Quoted in Chemical Watch Article “EPA to scrap TSCA inventory corrections process”

On March 1, 2022, Lynn L. Bergeson, President, The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted by Chemical Watch responding to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) announcement that it will no longer allow companies to request corrections to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) inventory and instead require them to submit a pre-manufacture notice (PMN) for improperly identified substances.   The decision "is entirely unprincipled and based on a...
March 1, 2022

Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Quoted in Bloomberg Law Article “EPA Drops Policy Chemical Makers Use to Correct Critical List”

On Feburary 28, 2022, Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Director of Chemistry with The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted by Bloomberg Law regarding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) announcement that, as of April 26, it will no longer process chemical manufacturers’ requests to correct the specific ways chemicals on the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) inventory are identified. If the EPA is concerned that companies are using correction requests to add new...