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March 10, 2020

Christopher R. Blunck, Former Special Assistant to the Director of EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Joins Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. and The Acta Group

The ACTA Group

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and The Acta Group (Acta®) are pleased to announce that Christopher R. Blunck has joined our firms as Of Counsel with B&C and Senior Regulatory Specialist with Acta. Mr. Blunck most recently served as Policy Analyst and Special Assistant to the Director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT). Mr. Blunck has managed or participated in the development of hundreds of Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and Toxics Release Inventory Program (TRI) regulations, guidance documents, and policy papers, and his decades of involvement in the regulatory development process at EPA are an invaluable asset to clients seeking to anticipate, address, and resolve regulatory compliance matters.

Over the course of his 30-year career at EPA, Chris developed and reviewed regulations, interpretive guidance on TSCA matters, international chemical treaties, and international trade matters related to chemicals; represented the United States in the negotiation and implementation of the Stockholm Convention of Persistent Organic Pollutants and at technical and policy meetings under the Rotterdam Prior Informed Consent Convention; and earned numerous agency special citations and awards, including an EPA Gold Medal for Exceptional Service in 2017 for his work on the framework for implementing the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century (Lautenberg) amendment of TSCA.

Mr. Blunck received his law degree from George Mason University School of Law and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental, Population, and Organism Biology from the University of Colorado.

Lynn L. Bergeson, B&C Managing Partner and President of Acta, commented regarding Mr. Blunck’s appointment: “Having known, worked with, and admired Chris for years, we are thrilled Chis is now part of the Bergeson & Campbell and Acta team. Chris’ in-depth knowledge of TSCA law and policy will be an invaluable asset to our clients, as will Chris’ familiarity with the federal administrative process and EPA infrastructure.”

Mr. Blunck joins a powerful team of EPA alumni at B&C and Acta, including Director of Chemistry Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., 17-year veteran of OPPT and one of the most widely recognized experts in the field of green chemistry; Senior Government Affairs Consultant James V. Aidala, a former Assistant Administrator of the Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) (now the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention); Charles M. Auer, a former Director of OPPT, Timothy D. Backstrom, a 25-year veteran of EPA’s Office of General Counsel, and Oscar Hernandez, Ph.D., former Director of the Risk Assessment Division (RAD) at OPPT. This impressive team offers clients an unmatched wealth of experience in TSCA and Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) legislative and regulatory matters.

About Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. — Located in Washington, D.C., B&C is a law firm focusing on conventional, biobased, and nanoscale industrial, agricultural, and specialty chemical product regulation and approval, and associated business issues, including TSCA matters, FIFRA/Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) matters, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and product approval, registration and data compensation arbitrations, chemical product litigation, and associated business counseling and litigation issues. Additional information is available at http://www.lawbc.com.

About The Acta Group — Acta, a consulting affiliate of B&C with offices in Washington, D.C.; Brussels, Belgium; Manchester, United Kingdom; and Beijing, China, offers expertise with regulatory programs and chemical product approvals in North America, Europe, South and Central America, Asia, and the Middle East. Acta supports clients’ products from concept to approval so they get to market quickly and efficiently. Additional information is available at http://www.actagroup.com.