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On January 21, 2019, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo (D) announced as part of his Executive Budget a proposal intended to protect New Yorkers from unknown exposure to toxic chemicals. According to Governor Cuomo’s press release, the Consumer Right to Know Act would authorize the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), in consultation with the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and the New York State Department of State (NYSDOS), to develop...
January 29, 2019
EPA Releases Year in Review, Highlighting Its Accomplishments and Environmental Progress
On January 28, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published its Year in Review: 2018 (YIR). The YIR lists the following accomplishments: Issued major proposals, including the Affordable Clean Energy Rule, the Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule, and the new waters of the U.S. definition; Provided greater regulatory certainty to states, tribes, localities, and the regulated community; Streamlined the effectiveness and efficiency of...
January 22, 2019
EC Evaluates Performance of FCM Legislation: What You Need to Know and How to Respond
As Brexit is eclipsing nearly all other developments in Europe these days, we write to alert you to another important development underway in the European Union (EU). As discussed in detail below, the European Commission (EC) has initiated a process to evaluate and likely revise the EU framework addressing the regulation of food contact materials (FCM). Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 (Regulation) provides this framework and has done so since its adoption in October 2004 with...
January 16, 2019
China Publishes Chemical Environmental Risk Assessment and Control Regulation to Update MEP Order No. 7 for Public Comment
After over a year of review and revision, on January 8, 2019, the Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) published the "Chemical Environmental Risk Assessment and Control Regulation (Draft)" (Regulation) for public comment. The draft Regulation would update the “Environmental Management of New Chemical Substances” (MEP Order No. 7). The deadline to submit comments to MEE regarding the Regulation is February 20, 2019. Comments should be submitted to MEE via...
January 14, 2019
NYDEC Delays for Three Months Enforcement of its Household Cleansing Product Information Disclosure Program
On January 9, 2019, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC) announced it was delaying its enforcement of the New York Household Cleansing Product Information Disclosure Program (Disclosure Program) to October 1, 2019. NYDEC’s announcement was published in the Environmental Notice Bulletin. As previously reported, on June 6, 2018, NYDEC released its Disclosure Program setting forth extensive requirements for manufacturers of...
January 14, 2019
Information on the Upcoming Registration Deadline for Chemical Substances in South Korea — June 30, 2019
The South Korea amendment to the Act on Registration and Evaluation, etc of Chemical Substances (K-REACH) came into effect on January 1, 2019. All existing chemical substances (i.e., substances that are listed on the existing chemical inventory in South Korea) manufactured in or imported to South Korea at greater than or equal to one ton per year are now subject to registration. Existing chemical substances must be pre-registered prior to registration and pre-registration must be...
Click here for a PDF brochure of the memorandum. Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and its consulting affiliate The Acta Group (Acta®) are pleased to offer you our Forecast 2020. In this detailed and comprehensive document, the legal, scientific, and regulatory professionals of B&C and Acta distill key trends in U.S. and global chemical law and policy, and provide our best informed judgment as to the shape of key developments we are likely to see in the New Year. Our unique business...
Click here for a PDF brochure of the memorandum Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and its consulting affiliate The Acta Group (Acta®) are pleased to offer you our Forecast 2019. In this richly detailed document, the legal, scientific, and regulatory professionals of B&C and Acta distill key trends in U.S. and global chemical law and provide our best informed judgment as to the shape of key developments we are likely to see in the New Year. Our unique business platform and growing...
On December 21, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) denied a petition filed under Section 21 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) requesting that EPA initiate rulemaking to amend the TSCA Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) rule to increase reporting of asbestos. EPA denied the September 27, 2018, petition on the grounds that the petitioners, the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, American Public Health Association, Center for Environmental Health, Environmental...
On December 12, 2018, the House passed the Conference Report for H.R. 2 (the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, also known as the Farm Bill) to provide for the reform and continuation of agricultural and other programs of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) through fiscal year 2023. The Senate passed the Conference Report on December 11, 2018. Sec. 10101. Specialty crops market news allocation. Sec. 10102. Local agriculture market program. Sec....
On December 11, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced EPA’s and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (Corps) release of their highly anticipated proposed replacement definition of “Waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) that defines the scope of waters and wetlands that fall under federal Clean Water Act (CWA) jurisdiction. The 2018 WOTUS rule proposal is currently available in pre-publication format on EPA’s...
December 6, 2018
Proposed Amendments to Prop 65 Retail Seller Responsibilities Section 25600.2 (Responsibility to Provide Consumer Product Exposure Warnings)
On November 16, 2018, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) proposed amendments to Proposition 65 (Prop 65) regulations setting forth the circumstances when a “retail seller” is required to provide a consumer product exposure warning. Retail sellers are defined under the regulations as: [A] person or business that sells or otherwise provides consumer products directly to consumers by any means, including via the internet. For purposes of this...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Federal Register notice on November 15, 2018, announcing the availability of and seeking public comment on the first draft chemical risk evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), as amended by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (Lautenberg). The draft risk evaluation for Colour Index (C.I.) Pigment Violet 29 is intended to determine whether C.I. Pigment...
November 1, 2018
A Glimpse of Things to Come: OSHA’s Soon to Be Updated Hazard Communication Standard
In the Trump Administration’s Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions (Regulatory Agenda) issued on October 17, 2018, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a Proposed Rule Stage item titled “Update to the Hazard Communication Standard,” RIN 1218-AC93, and scheduled the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to be issued by March 2019. The full description of the item is: OSHA and other U.S....
October 29, 2018
California Lists Nickel (Soluble Compounds) on Prop 65 as Known to Cause Reproductive Toxicity
Effective October 26, 2018, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) added nickel (soluble compounds) to the list of chemicals known to the state to cause reproductive toxicity for purposes of Proposition 65 (Prop 65). Importantly, “soluble” is not defined in the listing. On October 11, 2018, OEHHA’s Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee (DARTIC), in its official capacity as the “state’s qualified experts”...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued on October 16, 2018, a proposed rule that would establish significant new use rules (SNUR) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for 13 chemical substances that are the subject of premanufacture notices (PMN). 83 Fed. Reg. 52179. The proposed rule is significant. Unlike other recent SNURs (i.e., those acted on since entry into force of amended TSCA), the 13 chemical substances...
As part of Amazon’s commitment to responsible sourcing, Amazon has posted its chemicals policy, which includes its first Restricted Substance List (RSL). Amazon states that it defines chemicals of concern as those chemicals that: (1) meet the criteria for classification as a carcinogen, mutagen, reproductive, or other systemic toxicant; or (2) are persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic. Amazon “strategically prioritize[s] which chemicals of concern to focus on based on product...
October 3, 2018
EPA Releases Working Approach for Identifying Potential Candidate Chemicals for Prioritization under TSCA
On September 28, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the general approaches that the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) may use to identify potential candidate chemicals for prioritization under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). EPA notes that it will seek public comment on the approach document and on which chemicals should be identified as potential candidates for the initial 20 high-priority and 20 low-priority chemicals that must be...
On September 27, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final fees rule under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The final rule largely tracks the proposed rule. In its press release, EPA states that the fees collected from chemical manufacturers “will go toward developing risk evaluations for existing chemicals; collecting and reviewing toxicity and exposure data and other information; reviewing Confidential Business Information (CBI); and making...
On August 21, 2018, Susan Bodine, Assistant Administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA), issued a memorandum to EPA Regional Administrators ordering a shift in OECA’s activities from enforcement to compliance. This column reports on this important shift in Agency focus. Background For over two decades, EPA has strategically focused its enforcement and compliance resources on...