News & Events

Thursday, November 17, 2016, 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time  REGISTER TODAY The Mexican and Central and South American chemical regulatory environment is challenging to understand, with relatively little consistency, even among neighboring countries.  The region is home to two major trading blocs, MERCOSUR (Mercado Común Del Sur) and the Andean Community of Nations (Comunidad Andina). Similar in basic concept to the European Union, these blocs...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and The Acta Group (Acta®) are very pleased to announce that Charles M. Auer has joined our teams as Senior Regulatory and Policy Advisor. For more than three decades, Mr. Auer has provided sagacious, informed, and deeply insightful guidance on legal, policy, and scientific matters related to the regulation of chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and related domestic and international chemical control laws. Mr. Auer's experience...

On August 25, 2016, Acta affiliate Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.’s (B&C®) memoranda “TSCA Reform: Proposed Changes to SNUR Procedures Would, Perhaps Inadvertently, Result in Disclosure of CBI to Third Parties/Possible Competitors” and “TSCA: Proposed Revisions to Significant New Use Rules Reflect Current Occupational Safety and Health Standards,” were discussed in an Inside EPA article on how Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Reform may violate trade...

On August 18, 2016, Chemical Watch quoted Acta affiliate Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.’s (B&C®) memorandum, “TSCA: Proposed Revisions to Significant New Use Rules Reflect Current Occupational Safety and Health Standards,” in an article examining the conflict between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Significant New Use Rule (SNUR) proposal and the revised Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Hazard Communications Standard...

On July 15, 2016, Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report quoted Lynn L. Bergeson, President of The Acta Group (ACTA®), in the article, “Give EPA Detailed New Chemical Notices, Attorneys Advise.” Pre-manufacture notifications, or PMNs, that makers must submit before they can produce or import a new chemical, and significant new use notifications, which companies must submit before they can make or use certain chemicals in new ways, “need to be much more strategic,...

On August 11, 2016, the Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report quoted Kathleen M. Roberts, Vice President of B&C® Consortia Management, L.L.C. (BCCM), an affiliate of Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) And Acta, on the implication of additional fees created by Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) reform. Companies that pay the costs of generating toxicity, exposure and other data should not be “double billed” through additional fees to review the...

On August 4, 2016, quotes from Acta affiliate Bergeson & Campbell P.C.’s (B&C®) memorandum “TSCA: Proposed Revisions to Significant New Use Rules Reflect Current Occupational Safety and Health Standards” were included in an Inside EPA article about conflicts between Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the revised Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). A law firm that frequently represents industry clients is warning that a recently...

On July 25, 2016, Inside EPA quoted Acta affiliate Bergeson & Campbell P.C.’s (B&C®) memoranda “EPA Releases First Determinations for New Chemicals under New TSCA,” on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) use of structure activity relationship (SAR) in premanufacture notice (PMN) reviews. In a July 22 memo to clients and colleagues, the law firm Bergeson & Campbell also notes that EPA appears to have used structure activity...

On June 22, 2016, Lynn L. Bergeson, President of The Acta Group (ACTA®) and Managing Partner of B&C, was quoted in Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report discussing the new Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) chemical regulatory process. Lynn Bergeson, managing partner of Bergeson & Campbell P.C., told Bloomberg BNA: “On the whole, the process seems to be efficient, but stakeholders will need to monitor the website.”...

On July 21, 2016, Michael S. Wenk, Senior Regulatory Consultant with The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted in the Chemical Watch article Brazil maps out plans for industrial chemicals policy. Michael Wenk, senior regulatory consultant at law firm Bergeson & Campbell, said because there isn't a formal list of substances selected for the national register, “one could see” the environment ministry including parts of established national inventories, such as those...

On July 15, 2016, Lynn L. Bergeson, President of The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted in an Environmental Leader article on the impacts of the loss of a green chemistry provision from Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Reform. As Lynn Bergeson, managing partner of Bergeson & Campbell writes in a blog post, the provision “called for a study of how to best incentivize sustainable chemistry research and development, as well as support ‘economic, legal and other...

On July 15, 2016, Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report quoted Lynn L. Bergeson, President of The Acta Group (Acta®), in the article “Give EPA Detailed New Chemical Notices, Attorneys Advise.” Pre-manufacture notifications, or PMNs, that makers must submit before they can produce or import a new chemical, and significant new use notifications, which companies must submit before they can make or use certain chemicals in new ways, “need to be much more...

On July 14, 2016, Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report included quotes from the B&C® and Chemical Watch webinar “The New TSCA Series Webinar 2: Impacts on New Chemical Programs.” Chemical manufacturers and processors will need to give exposure and toxicity data to the EPA for it to evaluate the risks of new and existing chemicals as required by the recently amended Toxic Substances Control Act, said Charles Auer, who directed the EPA...

On July 12, 2016, Lynn L. Bergeson, President of The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted in the Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report article “More Than 300 New Chemicals Snagged as EPA Implements Law.” Lynn Bergeson, managing partner of Bergeson & Campbell PC, told Bloomberg BNA July 11 the number of new chemicals affected by the EPA's implementation of the newly amended Toxic Substances Control Act isn't large. For an individual company,...

On July 11, 2016, Lynn L. Bergeson, President of The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted in the IHS Chemical Week article “Responsible Care: TSCA reform and enhancing product safety.” “Chemical companies need to start paying attention to what EPA is doing and announcing—and raise concerns so they can be heard.” Lynn Bergeson, a managing partner at environmental law firm Bergeson & Campbell, agrees, adding chemical companies should “carefully monitor [EPA’s]...

On July 1, 2016, the ABA Journal quoted Lynn L. Bergeson, President of The Acta Group (Acta®), on the future of nanotechnology legal obligations. “The legal profession needs to be very mindful of the legal obligations that arise because of this technology,” says Lynn L. Bergeson, the managing director at Bergeson & Campbell in Washington, D.C., and chair of the Pesticides, Chemical Regulation and Right-to-Know Committee in the ABA Section of Environ­ment, Energy...

On June 30, 2016, Lynn L. Bergeson, President of The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted in the Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report article “Amended Law Affecting New Chemicals' Market Entry,” discussing the impact of Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Reform on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) premanufacture notifications (PMNs) reviews. Lynn Bergeson, managing partner of Bergeson & Campbell PC, told Bloomberg BNA June 30 that because of...

On June 29, 2016, Inside EPA quoted the Bergeson & Campbell P.C. (B&C®) memorandum, “TSCA Reform:  An Analysis of Key Provisions and Fundamental Shifts in the Amended TSCA,” analyzing the new TSCA law. The law firm Bergeson & Campbell in a June 22 analysis of the new law says that the amended section 26(p) of TSCA "arguably afford EPA broad discretion to establish procedures for disposing of any Section 5 cases that are pending before EPA (including those...

Webinar 2: "Impacts on New and Existing Chemicals Programs" Thursday, July 14, 20168:00 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time/11:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time/16:00 British Summer Time Register Today In this second episode of the complimentary webinar series "The New TSCA -- What You Need To Know," Chemical Watch and an assembled faculty of Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) experts will take a deeper dive into the profound changes that the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) announced today the launch of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Blog (TSCAblog™) to track and report regulatory, scientific, legal, and policy developments under the "new TSCA." On June 22, 2016, President Obama signed into law the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (Lautenberg), which makes important changes to TSCA and is the first revision of U.S. domestic chemical management law in 40 years. Stakeholders will need...

On June 22, 2016, James V. Aidala, Vice President, Policy and Government Affairs with The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted in a Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report article on the expected U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) implementation of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act. Jim Aidala, former head of the EPA Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, told Bloomberg BNA the first few months of implementation of...

On June 16, 2016, Lynn L. Bergeson, President of The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted in the Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report article, “California Agency Examining Impacts of TSCA-Reform Bill.” Lynn Bergeson, managing partner of Bergeson & Campbell PC, said federal preemption would apply only to certain actions, such as restrictions. It wouldn't extend to state laws that require reporting or monitoring. “That said, TSCA preemption would appear to have...

On June 16, 2016, James V. Aidala, Vice President, Policy and Government Affairs with The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted in the Chemical Watch article “EPA Implementation Of TSCA To Be ‘Enormous Undertaking.’” The Lautenberg Act sets out “very aggressive deadlines” that will “not be easy to meet”, agreed Jim Aidala – a former Assistant Administrator for the EPA Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) and senior government...

On June 15, 2016, Bergeson & Campbell P.C.’s (B&C®) memoranda, “TSCA Reform:  An Analysis of Key Provisions and Fundamental Shifts in the Amended TSCA,” was quoted in the Inside EPA article, “Questions Linger On EPA Approach To TSCA Bill's New Chemicals Program.” "While Lautenberg appears to afford EPA the discretion needed to fashion an appropriate transitional policy for disposing of currently pending and suspended Section 5 notices, it does not...

On June 14, 2016, Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Senior Chemist at The Acta Group (Acta®), presented “U.S. Market Pressure and the Battle between Hazard and Risk” at the 2016 Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference. Dr. Engler discussed the various risk-based regulations at play in the U.S., including the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA),...

On June 13, 2016, the Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report article, “TSCA Changes May Alter Pending Chemical Rules for Articles,” included comments by Lynn L. Bergeson, President of The Acta Group (Acta®). The EPA may need to conduct new analyses to support its proposed rules or the agency may need to re-propose them in light of changes the TSCA-reform bill would make to the criteria the agency should use when regulating manufactured goods, or “articles,” said...

On June 10, 2016, Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report included comments from Lynn L. Bergeson, President of The Acta Group (Acta®), speaking about the impacts of passing the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act. “The bill's many deadlines will drive EPA activities at a frantic pace,” said Lynn Bergeson, managing partner of Bergeson & Campbell. […] Among the deadlines the EPA faces in the first year of the law's implementation:...

On June 8, 2016, the Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report article, “With Chemical Safety Law, Congress Hands EPA Herculean Task,” quoted James V. Aidala, Vice President, Policy and Government Affairs with The Acta Group (Acta®). “It's a very ambitious undertaking—it's going to be hard,” said James Aidala, the former head of EPA's chemical safety office and a consultant at Bergeson & Campbell. “It is going to take a long time, even if the administration...

Register Today For "The New TSCA -- Overview and Summary of Major Changes: What to Expect and When to Expect It" Monday June 13, 20168:00 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time / 11:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time / 4:00 p.m. British Summer Time Speakers: Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, Bergeson & Campbell P.C. Richard A. Denison, Ph.D., Lead Senior Scientist, Environmental Defense Fund Charles M....

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and The Acta Group (Acta®) are pleased to announce that Michael S. Wenk, M.S., has joined our teams as Senior Regulatory Consultant. Mr. Wenk has managed global regulatory affairs and product stewardship divisions at Fortune 500 chemical and chemical product companies for over 20 years and is an internationally-recognized expert in chemical registration and regulation in Central and South America, and the Middle East. With a Master's Degree in...

On June 7, 2016, the Wall Street Journal Risk & Compliance Journal reporter Ben DiPietro featured quotes by Lynn L. Bergeson, President of the Acta Group (Acta®), about the impact of Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Reform on nanotechnology chemicals. The article “Updated Rule Offers Better Oversight of Nanotech Chemicals” explores how many nanotech chemicals were mostly ignored by the language of TSCA, but may now be reviewed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in...

On June 7, 2016, Lynn L. Bergeson, Acta Group (Acta®) President, was quoted in fDi Magazine’s article “TSCA reform bill ‘beneficial to foreign investors and manufacturers.’” fDi Magazine is affiliated with fDi Intelligence, a division of the Financial Times Ltd, and is a premier publication for the business of global investments. The article discusses major changes that will result from TSCA Reform, including more...

On June 6, 2016, Lynn L. Bergeson, President of The Acta Group (Acta®), presented “Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security in the Mediterranean Region: Modern Agriculture and Technology” at the International Bar Association 4th Mediterranean Conference in Rome, Italy. Ms. Bergeson began her presentation with a discussion of the similarities between U.S. and European Union (EU) oversight systems. Both systems address comprehensively potential risks posed by evolving agricultural...

On June 1, 2016, Lynn L. Bergeson, The Acta Group (Acta®) President, was quoted in an Inside EPA article regarding possible Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Reform impacts on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ability to regulate chemicals in finished products. EPA has not yet provided a cohesive regulatory policy on articles, so having a statutory requirement could ease some of those concerns, said Lynn Bergeson, managing partner at Bergeson...

To prepare companies for the reporting period for the 2016 Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) rule, June 1 - September 30, 2016, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) presented a webinar, "2016 Chemical Data Reporting: Don't Despair; Get Prepared!," on May 3, 2016.  A recording of the webinar, presentation slides, and a document containing detailed answers to the many questions submitted by webinar participants will be made available to B&C clients and associates...

The May 3, 2016, article “Make Chemical Reports to EPA Consistent: Former Official,” by Pat Rizzuto and published by the Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report, included comments made by B&C and Acta Senior Scientist Richard Engler, Ph.D. during B&C’s recent CDR webinar. […]Under its Next Generation Compliance initiative, the EPA will compare the data it receives from the Chemical Data Reporting, or CDR, rule to information obtained through other regulations,...

On May 2, 2016, Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report published “EPA Expands Regions’ Chemical Management Role,” featuring comments from B&C Managing Partner and Acta President Lynn L. Bergeson and B&C affiliate Charles Auer. The article discussed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) April 29, 2016 action to manage certain chemicals and related issues more than they traditionally have done. […]“The new regional role is a significant change as...

As many of our clients and friends know, George W. Wilson, Jr. died last November. George served as Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.'s (B&C®) chief technology officer for many years. To those of us who knew and worked with George, we loved his passion for life, we relied upon his expertise in information technology, and we appreciated and benefitted from his vision for the seamless integration of business, information technology, and accounting. Many more who did not have the pleasure of...

On April 15, 2016, Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report published “European Commission Sets Out Terminology for Nanomaterial Assessment,” an article focusing on the EC Joint Research Center’s release of definitions for 43 nanotechnology risk assessment terms. […]JRC technical reports are respected resources that have demonstrable value, and can be widely used, but it has no binding legal effect, Lynn Bergeson, managing partner of the U.S.-headquartered law firm...

On April 5, 2016, Inside EPA included comments from a Pesticide Law and Policy Blog post written by Acta Vice President and B&C partner Lisa Campbell and B&C attorney Timothy Backstrom in the article “Bayer Eyes Rare FIFRA Hearing To Challenge EPA Pesticide Cancellation.”  Observers tracking the case say that whether the Office of Administrative Law Judges (ALJ) requires EPA to follow the lengthier cancellation process under FIFRA...

On March 29, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the Partial Exemption of Certain Chemical Substances from Reporting Additional Chemical Data final rule in the Federal Register. This final rule amends the list of chemical substances that are partially exempt from additional reporting requirements under the Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) rule. The rule applies to six biodiesel chemicals that are very similar to petroleum based biodiesel chemicals...

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...

The Acta Group EU, Ltd (Acta®) is expanding its regulatory services and is offering the exciting prospect of working with a fast growing, international chemical products consulting group. We are seeking an Administrative Assistant to join our European office based in Manchester, UK. The ideal candidate will be trained and experienced with Microsoft Office software, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Paralegal training and bookkeeping or light accounting experience is preferred....

The Acta Group EU, Ltd (Acta®) is expanding its regulatory services and is offering the exciting prospect of working with a fast growing, international chemical products consulting group. We are seeking Regulatory Affairs professionals to join our European office in Manchester, UK. The ideal candidate will be educated in the biological sciences, chemistry, environmental sciences and/or toxicology fields with strong knowledge of and experience in international chemical regulatory affairs,...

The Acta Group EU, Ltd (Acta®) is expanding its regulatory services and is offering the exciting prospect of working with a fast growing, international chemical products consulting group. We are seeking Regulatory Affairs professionals to join our European office in Manchester, UK. The ideal candidate will be educated in the biological sciences, chemistry, environmental sciences and/or toxicology fields with strong knowledge of and experience in international chemical regulatory affairs,...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and The Acta Group (Acta®) are pleased to announce that Oscar Hernandez, Ph.D. has joined our teams as Senior Regulatory Chemist. Dr. Hernandez is the former Director of the Risk Assessment Division (RAD) in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), where he managed a multi-disciplinary science group that provided expert scientific support in the areas of hazard and risk assessment of chemicals...

The December 2015 issue of Nature Biotechnology included comments by Richard E. Engler, Ph.D. on keeping biotech rules current with scientific progress in the article “A face-lift for biotech rules begins.” To stay up to date with technology, Richard Engler, a senior chemist at the environmental law firm Bergeson & Campbell in Washington, DC, suggested that technology stewards be embedded in each of the relevant federal agencies. Their role would be to...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and The Acta Group (Acta®) are pleased to announce that Susan M. Kirsch has joined our teams as Government Affairs Advisor. Ms. Kirsch brings substantial regulatory and technical policy expertise at the local, state, and federal levels, with experience at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the U.S. Department of Justice, Environmental and Natural Resource Division, and most recently the Association of Clean Water...

The Acta Group (Acta®) is pleased to announce that Zameer Qureshi, a chemical regulatory and international business lawyer based in the United Kingdom (UK), has joined our team as Legal Consultant to The Acta Group EU, Ltd (Acta® EU). Mr. Qureshi has an in-depth understanding of UK and European Union (EU) laws related to Acta EU's practice areas, and he will deploy this knowledge to assist Acta clients in achieving and maintaining compliance across multiple global regulatory frameworks. A...

The December 14, 2015, Chemical Watch article “TSCA Bill Could Have 'Huge' Impact On Downstream Users,” included quotes from Lynn L. Bergeson on possible results of TSCA Reform. Changes to the chemical inventory as proposed in the US Senate Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) reform would have a “huge” impact on downstream users, according to Lynn Bergeson, owner of Bergeson & Campbell, PC.  Bill S697 proposes to reset the TSCA Inventory of Chemical Substances to determine which...