News & Events

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and The Acta Group (Acta®) are pleased to announce that Lynn L. Bergeson has been appointed Vice Chairman of the Agriculture Law Committee (ALC) at the International Bar Association (IBA). Ms. Bergeson, Managing Partner of B&C and President of Acta, will serve a two-year term. The IBA is the world’s leading organization of international legal practitioners, bar associations, and law societies, promoting an...

On February 2, 2018, Lynn L. Bergeson, President of The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted in the Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report article “Chemical Makers Send Limited Exposure Data to EPA as Deadline Nears.” Companies’ failure to provide more data wasn't “all that surprising as value chain challenges make it very difficult to populate these files with a lot of user information,” Lynn Bergeson, managing partner at the law firm Bergeson & Campbell PC,...

On February 1, 2018, Christopher R. Bryant, Senior Regulatory Specialist at The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted by Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report regarding an infrastructure plan proposed by President Donald Trump during his State of the Union address. “There are a lot of regulatory hurdles just to do some basic stuff,” said Chris Bryant, a senior regulatory consultant at Bergeson & Campbell, a Washington, D.C., law firm specializing in chemical regulatory...

On January 25, 2018, Christopher R. Bryant, Senior Regulatory Specialist at The Acta Group (Acta®), met with Pan Jianwei and Lu Chao, First and Second Secretaries, respectively, of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China regarding U.S. regulation of solid and hazardous waste.  China is currently revising its “Law on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Waste,” so the discussion was informative and timely.  Acta and...

Wednesday, February 7, 20181:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. (EST) Register Today  The Acta Group (Acta®) is pleased to participate in the upcoming “TSCA Reform Implementation Seminar:  Impacts and Best Practices for the New Chemicals Law,” presented by the Michigan Chemistry Council.  This valuable seminar features a panel of industry practitioners, as well as talented legal experts including Lynn L. Bergeson, President of Acta and Managing Partner of...

Thursday, February 8, 201812:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. (EST)Register Today First in the 2018 Bloomberg BNA/Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. Chemical Policy Summit Series -- see the full schedule of webinars below.What a difference a year makes!  To some extent, the surprise of 2016 -- the election of Donald J. Trump as President -- did make many predicted changes about life in Washington, D.C. for 2017 come true.  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA)...

On January 18, 2018, Lynn L. Bergeson, President, The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted in a Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report article regarding an increase in citizen group petitions as a result of Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Reform.  Chemical manufacturers should expect to see more petitions from citizen groups asking the EPA to regulate substances now that the nation's primary chemicals law has been amended, attorneys tell Bloomberg Environment....

On January 18, 2018, Christopher R. Bryant, Senior Regulatory Specialist at The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted by Bloomberg Environment regarding the possible environmental ramifications of a recent California mudslide. “That mud could contain everything from sewage, to oil and gas from ruptured lines, as well as pesticides, ash, maybe chemicals from inside houses,” said Chris Bryant, a regulatory consultant with Bergeson and Campbell, a Washington D.C.-based law...

On January 17, 2018, Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Senior Chemist at The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted by NBC News in the article “EPA eases path for new chemicals, raising fears of health hazards.” The EPA’s new approach is likely to reduce the testing that manufacturers who first bring these new chemicals to market are required to do. Using significant new-use rules (SNURs) “reduces the testing that the EPA is seeking to impose, because testing is rarely...

On January 10, 2018, the Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report covered the TSCA New Chemicals Coalition’s (NCC) response to a federal court challenge by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) New Chemicals Decision-Making Framework. The New Chemicals Coalition, which Bergeson & Campbell P.C. launched in 2017 as a forum for companies interested in bringing new chemicals to market, has not decided whether or...

On January 4, 2018, the TSCAblog™ post “In Case of First Impression, Court Rules EPA Wrongly Dismissed Citizen Group’s TSCA Section 21 Petition” was quoted by Inside EPA in an article discussing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 21 ruling on flouride.  The law firm Bergeson & Campbell describes the ruling as a “fairly scathing rebuke of EPA’s legal positions,” in a Dec. 22 blog post,...

The Acta Group (Acta®) was featured in the Winter 2017 Elements Magazine, published quarterly by Chemicals Northwest as a “one-stop solution” for global or local chemical regulatory compliance, especially for companies preparing for the May 13, 2018 Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) deadline. Acta has frequently received recognition from clients and industry globally for our previous and ongoing demonstrations of excellence,...

On December 19, 2017,  Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report included comments by Michael S. Wenk, M.S., Senior Regulatory Consultant with The Acta Group (Acta®), regarding future chemical regulations in Brazil. Big questions remain, among them: Will Brazil recognize industrial chemicals registered through other systems like the Toxic Substances Control Act in the U.S., or REACH in the European Union? Or will companies have to reproduce testing results? Even when...

On December 18, 2017, Lynn L. Bergeson, President of The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted by the Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report in the article “FDA Pushes Risk-Based Approach to Nanomaterial Drugs.” Developers of drugs containing nanomaterials—substances so small they can't be seen with a regular microscope—got some advice on how to assess their risks in FDA draft guidance issued Dec. 15. […] Without having read it in detail yet, Lynn Bergeson, managing...

On December 15, 2017, Chemical Watch featured comments by the TSCA New Chemicals Coalition (NCC) on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new chemical evaluation policy. An industry group has argued that the US EPA should avoid issuing orders to mitigate workplace risks associated with new chemicals. Instead, it says, it should turn over that regulatory responsibility to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (Osha). The TSCA New Chemicals...

On December 11, 2017, Lynn L. Bergeson, President of The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted in the Chemical Week article “Trump's EPA: TSCA remains priority amid regulatory rollback.” “Not surprisingly, there’s been a tremendous focus on the implementation requirements for Lautenberg,” says Lynn Bergeson, managing partner of Bergeson & Campbell (Washington, DC). Efforts have included building a conceptual framework of how to review and apply the new standards...

On December 11, 2017, Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Senior Chemist at The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted in Chemical Watch regarding concerns with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) plan to move away from consent orders in favor of Significant New Use Rules (SNURs) when regulating potential uses of new chemicals. When the situation described in a pre-manufacture notice (PMN) is not of concern, but there is a potential use of the new chemical that would raise...

The Acta Group (Acta®) and Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) are pleased to announce that Scott J. Burya, Ph.D. has joined our firms as a Regulatory Chemist.  Dr. Burya holds a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the Ohio State University and will support clients in all stages of product development, from assessing the toxicology and regulatory profiles of new substances, performing quantitative risk assessments, and navigating state and federal...

The Acta Group (Acta®), a consulting firm affiliated with Washington, D.C. law firm Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), is seeking a pesticide registration specialist to join our growing team of regulatory consultants, scientists, and policy experts.  This position will be based in our Washington, D.C. office, although telework arrangements may be considered for the right candidate.  Applicants should be experienced in all aspects of preparing, submitting, and managing...

On November 29, 2017, Lynn L. Bergeson, President of The Acta Group (Acta®), and Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Senior Chemist at Acta, were quoted by Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report regarding recently released U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) documents on new chemical review procedures. The Points to Consider When Preparing TSCA New Chemical Notifications document, in particular, provides a clear, useful summary of the agency's current practice, said...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and The Acta Group (Acta®) are pleased to inform our clients and friends of the publication by Bloomberg BNA of EHS Strategies:  The Evolving Landscape of TSCA Reform Implementation, the latest edition of BNA’s quarterly EHS Strategies report.  The report provides a comprehensive analysis of recent Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) developments written by many of the key players in the development, passage, and...

On October 25, 2017, Brian Xu, M.D., PH.D., DABT®, toxicologist with Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), was quoted by Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report regarding China’s updated pesticide regulations. China's pesticide regulations were updated in the Agriculture Ministry's Order No. 3, which went into effect Aug. 1, but observers said disparities still exist between that directive and the subsequent Proclamation No. 2569, which details the data...

On October 12, 2017, Lynn L. Bergeson, President, The Acta Group (Acta®), presented at the “Innovative Consumer Products and Legal Risk” breakout session at the 2017 Retail Law Conference in Chicago, Illinois. The Retail Industry Leaders Association’s (RILA) Retail Litigation Center hosts this annual gathering of in-house counsel to cover pressing issues facing the retail industry and provide opportunity for interactive participation in roundtable discussions, Questions and...

On October 6, 2017, Inside EPA quoted a recent memorandum from The Acta Group (Acta®) in the article “EPA wins power to oversee biotech mosquito controls.” EPA and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have issued new guidance clarifying that EPA has authority for regulating biotechnology (Bt) products such as genetically modified mosquitoes that are used to control the pests, a step that one industry law firm says will be helpful for navigating a federal...

On September 22, 2017, Inside EPA quoted the post “EPA Denies TSCA Section 21 Petition on Fluoride Chemicals in Drinking Water; Provides Response to Petition,” from Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.’s (B&C®) TSCAblogTM in the article “Suit Over Rejected Fluoride Petition Could Test EPA's Stance On TCSA 'Uses'.” Observers tracking EPA's implementation of the new TSCA law said last spring shortly before the suit was filed that it would provide a test case...

The Acta Group L.L.C. (Acta) affiliate Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) is seeking an assistant regulatory compliance chemist to join our growing team of regulatory consultants, scientists, and policy experts.  This position will be based in our Washington, D.C. office, although telework arrangements may be considered for the right candidate.  Applicants must have experience with the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), the...

The Acta Group L.L.C. (Acta) affilate Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) is seeking a regulatory compliance chemist to join our growing team of scientists, regulatory consultants, and policy experts.  This position will be based in our Washington, D.C. office, although telework arrangements may be considered for the right candidate.  Applicants must hold a Ph.D. in chemistry, biochemistry, or related science and be must be highly experienced with the Registration, Evaluation,...

On September 12, 2017, Chemical Watch quoted Lynn L. Bergeson, President of The Acta Group (Acta®), in the article “US EPA pilots new pre-manufacture notice guidelines.” [T]he law firm Bergeson & Campbell has formed the TSCA New Chemicals Coalition which is intended to give the chemical community greater opportunity to engage with EPA on constructive improvements to the new chemical review process. "About 50 companies so far have expressed interest in joining the...

On September 1, 2017, Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Senior Chemist with The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted by Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report regarding how Confidential Business Information (CBI) claims would be handled by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the New Toxic Substances Control Act (New TSCA). The 2016 update to the Toxic Substances Control Act added a new requirement that manufacturers routinely justify their need for that chemical...

On August 28, 2017, Lynn L. Bergeson, President of The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted by the Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report discussing Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) regulatory concerns for carbon fiber with a lignin. Since the lignin-PAN carbon fiber under development does not yet involve the use of carbon nanofibers, Washington State University's Ahring said the product will not require clearance under [TSCA]. But some worry that the enthusiasm supporting...

On August 23, 2017, Michael Wenk, M.S., Senior Regulatory Consultant at The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted by Chemical Watch discussing Argentina’s implementation of the UN’s Globally Harmonised System (GHS) for the classification and labelling of chemicals. Michael Wenk, senior regulatory consultant at international compliance specialists Acta, told Chemical Watch: "The uptick in interest in GHS in South America comes after a long period of relative apathy with...

On August 23, 2017, Lynn L. Bergeson, President of The Acta Group (Acta®) and Managing Partner of Acta affiliate Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), was quoted by Inside EPA in the article “New Industry Coalition Launched On TSCA New Chemicals Review Issues.” For further information on joining the coalition, call or e-mail Lynn L. Bergeson at 202-557-3801 or lbergeson@lawbc.com. Bergeson & Campbell, a law firm that specializes in...

On August 16, 2017, Lynn L. Bergeson, President of The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted by Scientific American in “Trump’s EPA May Be Weakening Chemical Safety Law.” The [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)] and industry leaders dispute that the framework rules undermine [the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA)]. “I thought they were clearer, cleaner and more focused,” says Lynn Bergeson, a lawyer whose firm Bergeson & Campbell specializes in...

On August 15, 2017, Lynn L. Bergeson, President of The Acta Group (Acta®) was quoted by Inside EPA discussing how new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) risk evaluation guidelines may impact industry. “My sense is that if you have a promising chemical product and wish to get it through the risk evaluation process sooner rather than later, considering this option makes sense,” Lynn Bergeson, managing partner of environmental law firm Bergeson & Campbell,...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) is pleased to announce that the materials and recording from the “TSCA Hot Topics: Inventory Notification and Strategies for Complying, and Update on Section 5” webinar are now available for download. This complimentary webinar, co-hosted with Bloomberg BNA, was presented by a panel including Dr. Jeff Morris, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and former EPA officials and seasoned regulatory professionals who engaged in a lively...

On August 10, 2017, Lynn L. Bergeson, President of The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted by Chemistry World regarding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) “announcement that it has ‘eliminated’ the logjam of 600 new chemicals undergoing review” under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Lynn Bergeson, a managing partner with the Washington, DC-based law firm Bergeson & Campbell that advises chemical companies about regulatory compliance, is...

On August 8, 2017, Lynn L. Bergeson, President of  The Acta Group (Acta®), and Charles M. Auer, Senior Regulatory and Policy Advisor with Acta, were quoted by Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report in the article “Clearing EPA's New Chemicals ‘Backlog’ Cheered by Industry.” Lynn Bergeson, managing partner with Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. in Washington, also praised the EPA's progress. That law firm will review EPA's latest statistics to assess the...

On August 4, 2017, Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Senior Chemist at The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted in the Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report article “Chemical Makers Told to Act Now, Duck Regulatory Hassles Later.” Chemical manufacturers should have access to the EPA's electronic reporting system now to avoid headaches in six months as the deadline approaches to notify the agency about chemicals they have made or imported during the past 10 years. The clock hasn't...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and The Acta Group (Acta®) are pleased to announce that Heather F. Collins, M.S., has joined our firms as a Regulatory Consultant.  Ms. Collins has nearly two decades of experience developing, implementing, and managing environmental, health, and safety (EH&S) compliance for global chemical and chemical product companies.  Her prodigious skills in developing biocide and pesticide registration and compliance strategies, safety data...

On August 3, 2017, Charles M. Auer, Senior Regulatory and Policy Advisor with The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted by Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report discussing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to release documents detailing its new Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) chemical review process.  The documents are expected to aid companies as they prepare premanufacture notices (PMNs) they must submit when asking the agency to approve a new...

On June 27, 2017, the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), and the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health (GWU) held a day-long "TSCA Reform: One Year Later" conference at the GWU campus exploring the federal government’s implementation of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (Lautenberg) on the first anniversary of...

Bloomberg BNA/Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. WebinarWednesday, August 2, 2017, 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. (EDT) Complimentary Registration Available Online  With the recent release of the 2016 Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) dataset and the initial interim list of active substances released with the June 2017 copy of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Inventory (Inventory), the magnitude of effort that will be needed to comply with the Section 8(b)(4) Inventory notification...

On July 18, 2017, Charles M. Auer, Senior Regulatory and Policy Advisor with The Acta Group (Acta®), and Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Senior Chemist with Acta, were quoted by Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report regarding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) data gathering authority. […] The EPA's recent rules don't mention any intention to use the agency's new authority under the amended chemicals law to order companies to provide toxicity or...

Michael S. Wenk, M.S., Senior Regulatory Consultant with The Acta Group (Acta®) and Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), has been invited to speak on the current state of play of Central and South American chemical regulations at the 17th AOCS Latin American Congress and Exhibition on Fats, Oils, and Lipids, September 11-14, 2017, in Cancun, Mexico.  Mr. Wenk will present “Chemical Substance Management in Central and South...

On June 29, 2017, Charles M. Auer, Senior Regulatory and Policy Advisor with The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted by Inside EPA in an article regarding Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) framework rules and how they should be implemented. His comments were made on June 27, 2017, during an Environmental Law Institute (ELI) conference celebrating the reformed law’s first anniversary. […] Former career EPA toxics chief Charles Auer, now with the law firm Bergeson...

On June 21, 2017, Inside EPA quoted Lynn L. Bergeson, President of The Acta Group (Acta®), in the article “As EPA Issues TSCA's Framework Rules, Bipartisan Law Faces Challenges.” […] Lynn Bergeson, managing partner of the firm Bergeson & Campbell, suggested some concern in EPA's ability to advance use of these new technologies. She too, noted Lautenberg's requirements regarding non-animal testing, including its direction that EPA craft a plan to mange the...

June 27, 2017, 9:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. (EDT) Milken Institute School of Public HealthGeorge Washington University950 New Hampshire Ave., N.W.1st Floor AuditoriumWashington, D.C. (and via webinar) Register TodayThis event is free and open to the public. Join the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) and the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health for a day-long conference exploring the federal government’s...

On June 16, 2017, Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Senior Chemist at The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted by Inside EPA discussing changes to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ‘New Chemicals’ program. […] Jeff Morris, director of EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), described some of the ongoing efforts he hopes will prevent further backlogs while speaking during a June 12 webinar. […] Morris explained that with polymers undergoing the...

On June 16, 2017, James V. Aidala, Vice President, Policy and Government Affairs with The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted in the Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report article “Former Arizona Environment Chief Tapped as EPA's COO.” […] Henry Darwin, a longtime government official and former director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, will serve as EPA assistant deputy administrator. In a statement, EPA spokeswoman Liz Bowman said Darwin “will...

On June 14, 2017, Lynn L. Bergeson, President of The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted by Inside EPA discussing the impacts of a possible requirement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to consider all possible use conditions while conducting risk assessments. […] Speaking at a recent seminar on environmental regulation hosted by the Practising Law Institute in New York, NY, attorney Lynn Bergeson said competing calls from industry and environmentalists on whether risk...