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On June 22, 2010, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced that a new practical guide makes clear that inorganic substances with the same chemical composition but different crystalline forms are regarded as different substances under the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation (EC No. 1907/2006). Practical guide 11: How to address specific substance identification issues (Practical Guide) is available online. The...
June 23, 2010
Supreme Court Sets Aside Injunction That Prohibited APHIS from Partially Deregulating Genetically Engineered Alfalfa
On June 21, 2010, the Supreme Court issued a decision in Monsanto, et al v. Geertson Seed Farms, et al. In the 7-1 decision, the Court reversed a decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The Court held that the District Court that reviewed a decision by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture abused its discretion when it issued an injunction precluding APHIS from allowing any sale or use of Roundup Ready Alfalfa (RRA), a...
June 22, 2010
EPA Issues Interim Guidance for Employee Participation in Risk Management Program Inspections
On June 22, 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that employees at facilities regulated under Section 112(r) of the Clean Air Act (CAA) will be invited to participate in government inspections of their worksites. Interim guidance issued by EPA and referenced in its announcement states that "[e]ffective immediately, EPA staff conducting CAA section 112(r) on-site compliance evaluations should offer facility employees and employee representatives the opportunity to...
On June 18, 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it has settled a lawsuit over its 2006 final rule regarding protections for subjects in human research. Under the settlement, EPA agrees to propose amendments to the rule consistent with language negotiated by the groups who challenged it -- Natural Resources Defense Council, Pesticide Action Network North America, Pineros y Campesinos Unidos Del Noroeste, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Farm Labor Organizing...
On June 9, 2010, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (CDTSC) held a conference entitled "Alternatives Analysis Symposium I: Issues and Evolution, Capitalizing on Success." CDTSC states that the alternatives analysis process for chemicals used in consumer products is a "core element" of California's Green Chemistry Initiative, and that identifying alternatives is a complex process, involving an analysis of a chemical's impact on human health and the environment. According to...
On May 20, 2010, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a proposed rule regarding the conditions and requirements for testing component parts of consumer products to demonstrate compliance of a consumer product with all applicable rules, bans, standards, and regulations to support a general conformity certificate or a certificate for a children's product pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA); as part of a reasonable testing program pursuant to...
We are pleased to announce that Kevin N. Goulden and Leslie S. MacDougall of The Acta Group EU, Ltd (Acta EU) will address technical and regulatory issues at the June 1, 2010, Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) seminar entitled "Outstanding Issues Before the 1st December 2010 Registration Deadline." The seminar, which will be held at Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP, in Brussels, Belgium, will address questions related to...
May 19, 2010
EPA Announces Draft PR Notice Concerning False or Misleading Pesticide Product Brand Names
Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Federal Register notice announcing the availability of, and seeking public comment on, a draft Pesticide Registration (PR) Notice entitled "False or Misleading Pesticide Product Brand Names." According to EPA, the draft PR Notice is intended to provide guidance to applicants, registrants, and distributors concerning pesticide product brand names that may be false or misleading, either by themselves or in...
Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued what it describes as a "common sense" approach to addressing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from stationary sources under the Clean Air Act (CAA) by phasing-in the deadlines by which facilities must obtain permits for GHG emissions. Specifically, this controversial final rule sets thresholds for GHG emissions that define when permits under the New Source Review (NSR) Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) and Title V Operating...