On January 19, 2012, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C) and B&C Consortia Management, L.L.C. (BCCM) convened a workshop at which invited U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) staff reviewed case studies on reporting obligations for byproduct and recycled materials under the Chemical Data Reporting rule. For those of you who were unable to listen in, the recorded audio for the workshop is available on B&C's website....
On January 18, 2012, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) issued final regulations that "specify the hazard traits, toxicological and environmental endpoints and other relevant data to be included" in the Toxics Information Clearinghouse (Clearinghouse) the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) will develop. The Clearinghouse will be used, in part, to help DTSC identify chemicals of concern in consumer products as part of its Green Chemistry...
In a January 13, 2012, letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson, Representatives Fred Upton (R-MI), Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and John Shimkus (R-IL), Chair of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy, asked EPA to postpone the Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) implementation and compliance deadlines from February 1, 2012, to align it with the future CDR submission periods...
On January 9, 2012, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report entitled Challenges Remain with EPA's Integrated Risk Information System Program, which evaluates the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) progress in completing Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) assessments under the May 2009 process. EPA revised its IRIS assessment process in May 2009 in response to a March 2008 GAO report on the IRIS program. EPA most recently revised the IRIS...
January 4, 2012
Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) Workshop to Review Case Studies on Reporting Byproducts/Recycled Materials
Thursday, January 19, 2012 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. (EST) Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C) and B&C Consortia Management, L.L.C. (BCCM), affiliates of The Acta Group, L.L.C., have organized a workshop with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to review reporting obligations for byproducts and recycled materials under the Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) rule. The workshop will focus on specific case studies previously submitted to EPA related to the reporting of byproducts or...
January 3, 2012
Predictions for EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, and Beyond
The Acta Group, L.L.C.'s (Acta) thoughts are below on what may be headed our way in 2012 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP). The 2012 Presidential Election cycle will influence any activity by either party or the Administration over the next year. We also offer a few thoughts on Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Asian chemical...
December 27, 2011
EPA Scheduled to Publish Proposed SNURs for 17 Chemicals, Including CNTs
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is scheduled to publish on December 28, 2011, proposed significant new use rules (SNUR) for 17 chemical substances that were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMN). According to EPA, 15 of the substances are subject to consent orders under Section 5(e) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Persons who intend to manufacture, import, or process any of the 17 substances for an activity that is designated as a significant new use by the...
On November 23, 2011, the European Union (EU) Council's committee of the permanent representatives of each member state (COREPER) approved the compromise agreement on the proposed EU biocidal products regulation that would repeal and replace the biocidal products Directive 98/8/EC. Under the compromise reached by the EU Council and the European Parliament (EP), biocides would be reviewed regularly, with approvals or renewals valid for a maximum of ten years, and less for "problematic"...
On December 5-6, 2011, the Association of American Pesticide Control Officials (AAPCO)/State Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Issues Research and Evaluation Group (SFIREG) held its semi-annual full committee meeting in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offices in Arlington, Virginia. Through a cooperative agreement in 1978, EPA and AAPCO created SFIREG, an AAPCO committee with EPA funding, to promote information exchange and cooperation between the states and...
On December 5, 2011, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) held a workshop to review DTSC's "informal draft" Safer Consumer Products Regulations (SCPR) released on October 31, 2011. The Acta Group, L.L.C.'s (Acta) memoranda providing background information on SCPR are available online. DTSC began by reviewing the elements of the regulation -- the Chemicals of Concern (COC) List; the prioritization of products; the quality assurance of alternative assessments (AA); and...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on December 1, 2011, that it granted a conditional registration for a pesticide product containing nanosilver as a new active ingredient. This memorandum provides additional information regarding this momentous regulatory achievement. HeiQ AGS-20 is a silver-based antimicrobial pesticide product that will be incorporated into textiles to suppress the growth of bacteria, which EPA states in its December 1, 2011, Decision Document "cause...
On November 29, 2011, the National Toxicology Program (NTP) held a listening session on its proposed revisions to the review process for the Report on Carcinogens (RoC). According to NTP, its proposed changes are intended to "enhance transparency and efficiency and to enable the NTP to publish the RoC in a timelier manner. The NTP also seeks to maintain critical elements of the existing process including external scientific and public involvement, scientific rigor, and...
Guidelines for Selecting Product-Related Environmental Sustainability Standards and/or Ecolabeling Programs The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) hosted on November 22, 2011, a webinar delivered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the General Services Administration (GSA) titled Guidelines for Selecting Product-Related Environmental Sustainability Standards and/or Ecolabeling Programs. The webinar provided an update on ongoing...
November 21, 2011
DTSC GRSP Meets to Review Revised “Informal Draft” Safer Consumer Products Regulations
On November 14-15, 2011, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control's (DTSC) Green Ribbon Science Panel (GRSP) met to review DTSC's "informal draft" Safer Consumer Products Regulations (SCPR) released on October 31, 2011. Memoranda providing background information are available online. Information about the meeting can be found online. During the meeting, DTSC provided an explanation for how the regulations were developed and then set forth questions for discussion on three...
On November 17, 2011, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and the Committee's Superfund, Toxics, and Environmental Health Subcommittee held a hearing on legislation intended to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the Safe Chemicals Act of 2011 (S. 847). Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), who introduced the legislation on April 14, 2011, and is Chair of the Subcommittee, chaired the hearing. The Safe Chemicals Act is intended to modernize TSCA to require chemical companies...
On November 15, 2011, the Congressional Nanotechnology Caucus hosted a briefing on the impact of nanotechnology on job creation. Topics addressed included the best ways to encourage private/public partnerships; what kind of jobs nanotechnology investment can create; and where private capital is investing money in nanotechnology. Guest speakers included: Hilary Flynn, Lux Research; Doug Jamison, Chief Executive Office, Harris & Harris; and Robert D. "Skip" Rung, President and...
Responses to questions raised by stakeholders during the September 15, 2011, Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) rule webinar, hosted by Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C), are provided below. During the September 15, 2011, webinar, which was attended by more than 300 participants, numerous issues, questions, and requests for clarification were addressed during the Q&A portion of the webinar. Many of the questions submitted, however, could not be addressed during the time allotted. In...
On November 15, 2011, the Congressional Nanotechnology Caucus will host a briefing on the impact of nanotechnology on job creation. Topics to be addressed include the best ways to encourage private/public partnerships; what kind of jobs nanotechnology investment can create; and where private capital is investing money in nanotechnology. Guest speakers will include: Robert D. "Skip" Rung, President and Executive Director, Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute; Doug Jamison,...
The Nanotechnology Industries Association (NIA) will hold a workshop on November 30, 2011, entitled "Defining Nano!? Compliance Requirements & Market Impact of the EU Definition of 'Nanomaterials.'" The workshop, which will be held in Brussels, Belgium, is intended to answer questions such as which market sectors will be affected by additional regulatory compliance, the economic impact on current and future applications of nanotechnologies, how the European Union (EU) definition will be...
On November 17, 2011, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and the Committee's Superfund, Toxics, and Environmental Health Subcommittee will hold a hearing on legislation intended to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the Safe Chemicals Act of 2011 (S. 847). Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), who introduced the legislation on April 14, 2011, and is Chair of the Subcommittee, will chair the hearing. The Safe Chemicals Act is intended to modernize TSCA...