News & Events

On June 18, 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed the most historic rule in its history: the Clean Power Plan. The proposal would, for the first time, impose regulatory limits on carbon pollution from existing power plants and is likely to have significant impacts throughout the economy. Pollution Engineering, a magazine, website, and news and information service for senior executives and engineers involved in their company's pollution control, convened a panel...

The Acta Group (Acta®) is pleased to announce that Emma Louise Jackson CBiol MSB has joined our firm as a regulatory specialist, serving clients in the European Union (EU) and worldwide from our Manchester, UK office. Ms. Jackson is distinguished by more than a decade of experience in testing and regulatory environments, most recently as a regulatory manager at a large commercial laboratory. She graduated with honors from the University of the West of England, Bristol, with a degree in...

Lynn L. Bergeson has been named one of the ten "Most Highly Regarded Individuals" in the world in the field of environmental law by Who's Who Legal in its 2014 compendium. This is the third year Ms. Bergeson has been named in the top ten list of individuals recognized as the most highly regarded by clients and peers, and the tenth year she has been listed in the publication overall. In addition to listing Ms. Bergeson among the top ten, Who's Who Legal 2014...

Wednesday, July 23, 20141:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. (EDT) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has made good on its intent to focus enforcement efforts on Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) supplemental distribution, resulting in several settlements with significant penalty assessments. Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) recently issued a memorandum discussing the enforcement actions, the regulatory requirements for supplemental...

Co-hosted by the Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group (BRAG™), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and George Washington University (GWU) August 5-7, 2014, at the GWU Campus in Washington, D.C. ABOUT THE WORKSHOP: During this hands-on three-day workshop, you will learn about a variety of tools, methods, and models that can be used to assess the hazard and potential exposure of chemicals. Methods addressed will include hazard and risk screening for human...

Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report reported on Lynn L. Bergeson’s comments regarding final nanotechnology guidances released by the Food and Drug Administration. “The guidances reaffirm the FDA’s position that it has sufficient statutory authorities and policies to oversee the safety of products it regulates, Bergeson said. She expanded on that perspective in a memo her law firm issued. The FDA also restated its view that nanotechnology isn’t inherently safe or harmful,...

Far from slowing down as the dog days of summer approach, BRAG and its growing membership have been highly visible and actively working to smooth the regulatory path for, and advance the commercialization of, biobased chemicals. And the pace is only going to pick-up as the temperature rises. BRAG is: Shaping Biobased Policy BRAG is engaged with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) staff concerning BRAG's petition for reduced reporting requirements for certain biobased chemical substances...

Co-Editor-in-Chief Larry P. Walker, Ph.D., announced that Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner of Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and President of B&C Consortia Management, L.L.C. (BCCM), has been appointed to the editorial board of Industrial Biotechnology, the journal of biobased innovation driving the global bioeconomy published bimonthly by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Publishers. In making the announcement, Dr. Walker commented that "Ms. Bergeson's membership on the...

Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report quoted Lynn L. Bergeson and B&C affiliate Charles Auer in a Special Report on TSCA Reform published today. “Charles Auer, a consultant who led TSCA implementation throughout most of his 32-year career at the EPA, agreed it will be challenging to resolve the many valid questions that would arise on user fees. It would be unwise, however, to continue to ignore the question of funding in TSCA reform discussions, he...

“While the Democrats' changes seek to address many concerns Jones and environmentalists have raised, the redline avoids addressing the issue of whether and to what extent a new federal chemicals management law should preempt state regulation of industrial chemicals. The issue has become particularly fraught in the Senate, where Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) has made protection of California's extensive chemical regulations in the Senate bill a...

“In a May 20 analysis of the ANPR, the law firm Bergeson & Campbell also flags the ‘processors’ issue, saying the notice raises a host questions relating to ‘significant and difficult legal, procedural and policy issues. Noting that the ANPR includes service companies in its discussion of the companies that may be subject to Section 8 reporting, which ordinarily would not apply to ‘users,’ the analysis says, that though such service providers may ‘process’ the chemical while...

Kathleen M. Roberts was quoted in an article in Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report titled “EPA, Industry Far Apart on Agency Stance on Listing Mandate for Chemical Fractions.” “Kathleen Roberts, a vice presidentwith Bergeson & Campbell Consortia Management (BCCM), said the biobased and petroleum-based chemical manufacturers she works with through the Alliance for Chemical Nomenclature she manages would like to avoid...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and The Acta Group (Acta) are pleased to announce the addition of Brian Xu, Ph.D., to our firms. Dr. Xu, a board-certified toxicologist and medical doctor, will assist clients in developing and managing international projects involving U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulated consumer products, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, industrial and specialty chemicals, agrochemicals, and antimicrobials. Dr. Xu...

The European Union (EU) Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR) dramatically changes the way biocidal active substances and products, as well as many products not traditionally considered biocidal products, are regulated under European law. Practical aspects of this new regulatory system are subtly different from those in other jurisdictions, EU neighboring countries, and the U.S. Companies exporting to the EU as a component of their global business must ensure that their supply chains and product...

The Acta Group, L.L.C. (Acta), a regulatory consulting firm with offices in the U.S., UK, and China, and Sustainable Health, Environment, and Safety Chemical Consulting (SHES) of South Korea announced today the formation of a new strategic alliance. By joining Acta's exceptional capabilities in China, Europe, and the Americas with SHES' broad experience in South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and South Asia, the Acta-SHES alliance offers clients expanded, seamless access to a comprehensive...

Lynn L. Bergeson was quoted in a Chemical Watch article regarding the priority products listed in March under California’s Safer Consumer Products Regulations (SCPR): “Spray polyurethane foam products containing unreacted diisocyanates are different in an important aspect. Spray foams are primarily used in the construction industry by smaller and mid-sized companies represented by a wide range of small trade associations, said Lynn...

Leslie S. MacDougall, Director of Regulatory Affairs for The Acta Group (Acta), has been invited to speak at ChemCon Europe 2014 in Istanbul, Turkey, and the International Conference on Chemical Policy (ICCP) 2014 in Seoul, South Korea. ChemCon, a global platform that brings together more than 400 companies, governmental authorities, and international organizations in the field of international chemical control, is holding its 2014 European meeting March 31 - April 4, 2014, in Istanbul. Ms....

Kathleen M. Roberts was quoted in an article in Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report titled “Manufacturers Urge EPA to Apply TSCA Consistently in Final Rules for Six Mixtures.” “Chemical manufacturers are urging the Environmental Protection Agency to apply Toxic Substances Control Act policies consistently to both biobased and petroleum-based chemical mixtures as it finalizes a proposed rule that would restrict uses of six chemicals designed for...

Lynn L. Bergeson was quoted in a Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report article, “Draft List of Products Will Test California’s Safer Consumer Products Program, Markets.“   “Draft Could Trigger Litigation. The draft list could trigger litigation challenging the regulations, the listed products or even DTSC’s implementation of the program rules, Washington D.C.-based attorney Lynn Bergeson of Bergeson & Campbell told Bloomberg BNA March...

James V. Aidala, Senior Government Consultant at Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), delivered the keynote address at the Spring Board Meeting of the Association of American Pesticide Control Officials held in Arlington, Virginia, on March 10, 2014. His presentation gave background, analysis, and commentary on the most newsworthy issues in pesticide regulatory policy today, including possible impact on pollinators, spray drift, and bystander risk; the difficulty of communicating science...

Lynn L. Bergeson was quoted in a Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report special report, “Elk River Provides Tangible Illustration of Deficiencies in Public Data on Chemicals:” “Lynn Bergeson, managing partner of Bergeson & Campbell, P.C., said that despite the many problems West Virginia’s ‘entirely preventable tragic spill’ has spotlighted, it is unlikely to hasten TSCA reform. ‘There are dozens of compelling reasons to reform TSCA, any...

The Acta Group's (Acta) Andrew R. Bourne and Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.'s (B&C®) Lisa R. Burchi and Lara A. Hall, M.S., RQAP-GLP, have published an article entitled "EU Biocidal Products Regulation and Its Impact on Industry: A Practical Briefing" in the February 27, 2014, issue of Bloomberg BNA's Daily Environment Reporter. The article was written to help industry, especially those companies exporting to the EU, understand the differences between BPR and regulation in...

James V. Aidala was quoted in an Agrow Daily News Alert story titled “US EPA Rolls Out Farmworker Protection Plan” covering EPA’s has proposed changes to regulations intended to protect the nation's more than 2 million farmworkers and their families from pesticide exposures. “A former EPA pesticide official says that he expects agricultural groups to balk at the record keeping requirements and believes that they will echo CLA's concern about the Agency's justification...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and The Acta Group (Acta) are pleased to announce the addition of Karin F. Baron to our firms. Ms. Baron is an expert regulatory consultant with more than 15 years of experience in developing, implementing, and managing complex chemical regulatory compliance matters for some of the largest industrial and specialty chemical companies in the world, including International Specialty Products, Ciba Specialty Chemicals, and most recently 3E. Her primary areas...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. was quoted in an Inside EPA article regarding EPA's recently released draft pesticide spray drift policy: “Released last February, the draft assessment said buffer zones ranging from 0 to greater than 4,000 feet could be necessary to reduce children's and other bystanders' exposure. The calculations are based on field size, crop-dependent application rates, and a risk-based 'concentration of concern' the agency sets using the health endpoint...

The 5th Annual Bio-Based and Renewable Chemicals Summit is underway and throughout the proceedings attendees have heard one message loud and clear: renewables are here, they are growing, and the time for addressing the critical path to commercialization is now. Kathleen M. Roberts, Executive Director of the Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group (BRAG™), served as Summit Chair. She moderated a spirited session featuring Benjamin M. Borns, Technical Expert in Application of Bio-Based...

Lynn L. Bergeson was quoted in a Chemical Watch article on the chemical spill near Charleston, West Virginia: “The spill ‘provides a textbook example of what's wrong with [TSCA],’ says Lynn Bergeson of the law firm Bergeson and Campbell. ‘The paucity of information is the sticking point,’ she says, adding that public officials need access to more data than is currently available.”...

Lynn L. Bergeson was featured in a Chemical Watch article on the January 2014 chemical spill near Charleston, West Virginia, that also featured comments from California Congressman Henry A. Waxman, ranking member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce: “The spill ‘provides a textbook example of what's wrong with [TSCA],’ says Lynn Bergeson of the law firm Bergeson and Campbell. ‘The paucity of information is the sticking point,’ she says, adding that public...

The Acta Group (Acta) is pleased to announce that Gyöngyi (Pearl) Németh, M.Sc., has joined our firm as a regulatory specialist, based in our Manchester, U.K. office. A tri-lingual (English, German, Hungarian) with a Masters degree in Environmental Engineering and a post-graduate degree in Experimental Toxicology with emphasis on endocrine disruptor chemicals (EDC), Ms. Németh delivers considerable international experience solving complex regulatory registration, commercialization, and...

Lynn L. Bergeson was quoted in a BNA Daily Environment Report article on the outlook for 2014 regarding toxic substances: “Lynn Bergeson, managing partner of Bergeson & Campbell, P.C., said that while S. 1009 has some momentum, it also faces significant hurdles, including finding ways to address the most substantive challenges of state preemption, confidential business information claims and the safety standard that the EPA would use to evaluate all...

Chemical lawyer and Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) expert Lynn L. Bergeson was featured Monday, January 13, 2014, on the National Public Radio (NPR) program "All Things Considered." In a story on the mysteries that persist around a chemical spill in the Elk River near Charleston, West Virginia, NPR reporter Elizabeth Shogren interviewed Ms. Bergeson, whose comments were included in the national radio broadcast and NPR's web version of the story: "'These incidents are very painful for the...

Lynn L. Bergeson was quoted in BNA Daily Environment Report regarding EPA’s December 17, 2013, release of screening data on 1,800 chemicals through a new online tool known as the interactive Chemical Safety for Sustainability Dashboard. “Companies that make and use the chemicals are likely to be concerned about how and in what context the data is presented, said Lynn L. Bergeson, a partner with Bergeson & Campbell PC who counsels industry on chemical regulations....

Lynn L. Bergeson was quoted in a Chemical Watch article on California’s new Safer Consumer Products Regulations (SCPR): “Information generated by REACH analyses could help position entities ‘favourably to be aware of what their obligations are under the Safer Consumer Products Regulations, and perhaps position them better to meet those requirements,’ said Lynn Bergeson of Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.”...

Inside E.P.A. Weekly Report, October 11, 2013, featured comments made by Kathleen M. Roberts, Vice President of B&C affiliate Bergeson & Campbell Consortia Management, in “Industry Questions EPA Planning Of New TSCA Risk Assessment Program:”“During the Sept. 26 meeting, the first of three peer review meetings, officials with the NMP Producers Group, an affiliate of the law firm Bergeson & Campbell, told the panelists reviewing DCM and NMP that...

In an October 11, 2013, story titled “Pesticide Imports Halted at U.S. Ports; Importers Seek to Gauge, Address Impact,” James V. Aidala shared his insight on possible effects of the government shutdown on the processing of import notices: “Jim Aidala, former assistant administrator for the EPA Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, told Bloomberg BNA that the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA)—not the pesticide...

The October 10, 2013, issue of Daily Environment Report featured a memorandum issued by Acta in the story “Toxic Substances Manufacturers Urged to Review Obligations as China Executes Hazardous Chemicals Rule:” “The Acta Group LLC, a consulting affiliate of the law firm Bergeson & Campbell P.C., released a bulletin Oct. 8 that also urged organizations with interests in China to review the draft catalog and assess their business and compliance obligations to avoid...

In an October 7, 2013, story titled “US EPA’s Pesticide Programme Halted by Shutdown,” Agrow Daily News Alert quoted James V. Aidala: “Key OPP policy initiatives are also on hold, including the effort to address concerns about the decline of bees through revised labels for neonicotinoid insecticides. The EPA asked for registrants of four neonicotinoids - imidacloprid, dinotefuran, clothianidin and thiamethoxam - to submit revised labels by October 1st with the aim of...

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rule aligning its Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) with the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) became effective on May 25, 2012. The rule includes a December 1, 2013, deadline for employee training on safety data sheets (SDS), which is fast approaching. Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. offers comprehensive global solutions for complying with GHS regulations:...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C) is pleased to announce that Lara A. Hall, a Registered Quality Assurance Professional in Good Laboratory Practice with a Masters degree in Biology, has joined our staff of scientists at B&C, The Acta Group (Acta), and B&C Consortia Management, L.L.C. (BCCM). With over a decade of experience in environmental research, study monitoring, and international regulatory support, Ms. Hall will assist our clients in placing and monitoring studies to assist...

In an article published September 11, 2013, in Environmental Leader, Lynn L. Bergeson explored the implications of a recent EPA action: "The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently withdrew two draft regulations intended to enhance chemical oversight. Both initiatives had been languishing at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for years, long overstaying their customary (and mandated) 90-day review periods. The inferences and conclusions that can be drawn from EPA's...

The September 12, 2013 issue of Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report included comments made by Lynn L. Bergeson during her “Nanomaterials: Global Governance Initiatives” Presentation: “The global growing use of nanomaterials demands a better understanding of risks and sensible governance strategies as businesses confront questions regarding product liability and worker compensation, speakers said at the Chemcon Asia 2013 conference in Seoul. Lynn Bergeson, managing...

Delegates attending the ChemCon conference this week in Seoul, South Korea were given a valuable in-depth look at the complicated landscape of chemical regulations in China. Leslie S. MacDougall presented “An Overview of Regulations on the Management of Chemical Substances in China with Updates and Developments in the New Chemical Substance Notification (NCSN) Scheme,” a session that was covered by BNA Daily Environment Report and the ChemCon Daily....

As a proud sponsor of ChemCon Asia 2013, B&C is pleased to share information and insights from the conference. ChemCon Daily Edition 2 features an overview of the many chemical lists in use by international chemical regulatory agencies, and an update on TSCA reform, including comments from B&C’s Lynn L. Bergeson on EPA's progress in assessing the 83 chemicals identified in its 2012 work plan. ChemCon Daily Edition 3 covers the...

From K-REACH to CSIA, EU CLP to China Order No. 7, ChemCon Asia 2013 held September 9-13, 2013, in Seoul, South Korea, equipped attendees to achieve compliance with current global chemical regulations and to anticipate new regulatory developments on the horizon. Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. was a proud sponsor. The program included: In-depth review and discussion of Korean regulations with senior representatives from Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and Occupational Safety and...

B&C® Consortia Management, L.L.C. (BCCM) is assisting companies with forming testing consortia to fulfill regulatory requirements under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP). On June 14, 2013, EPA issued the final second list of chemicals and substances for Tier 1 screening under the EDSP. Our memorandum regarding this development is provided below. EPA has indicated that it will issue test orders for the Group 2 chemicals in...

An article reporting on the newly released pesticide labels restricting some applications of four neonicotinoid insecticides included comments from James V. Aidala: “While the revisions appear to tackle the consistency issue, it is far from clear if the new language will be more easily enforced, says Jim Aidala, a senior government consultant for the law firm, Bergeson & Campbell PC (Washington, DC). The labels have ‘a lot of 'do-nots' on them’, he tells Agrow. ‘It is essentially all...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) is proud to be a sponsor of both of these dynamic gatherings of industry leaders, government and policy officials, and science and business visionaries. For full agenda and registration click: ChemCon Asia 2013, with its unique global approach and comprehensive review of global chemical issues, will take place in Seoul, South Korea, from September 9-13, 2013. Lynn L. Bergeson will present "Green Chemistry and California Safer...

Early Bird Registration Deadline Friday, August 16, 2013! Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. is proud to be a sponsor of and program advisor to the 3rd Safer Consumer Products Summit -- National Policy Outlook, September 17-19, 2013, Washington, D.C. Join us at the conference to: Stay Ahead of the Regulatory Curve with the Most Up-to-Date Status on the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)  Avoid Brand Reputation Risk and Stay on the Shelves with Updates on the Latest State-Level Policy...

Lynn L. Bergeson has been invited to give a presentation on “Nanomanufacturing and the Environment” at a Congressionally-requested forum conducted by GAO with the assistance of the National Academies. The goal of the forum, to be held July 23 - 24, 2013, in Washington, D.C., is to help Congress and the United States keep pace with the potentially transformative, fast moving wave of future developments in nanotechnology....

The July 1, 2013, issue of Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report featured comments from the BNA webinar called “Toxic Substances Control Act Premanufacture Notifications: The New State of Play,” moderated by Lynn L. Bergeson. “The Environmental Protection Agency should work with chemical manufacturers and other parties to address some core issues complicating regulatory compliance for biobased and other chemical manufacturers, an attorney and an expert in chemical...