All Knowledge & Insights By Date

On December 13, 2021, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) issued a notice proposing modifications to the revisions it first proposed on January 8, 2021, to its Proposition 65 (Prop 65) Article 6 “clear and reasonable warnings” regulations for “short-form” warnings (Notice). More information regarding the January 8, 2021, proposal is available on our blog. OEHHA is requesting comments on its Notice and the modifications to the proposed...

On December 13, 2021, Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Director of Chemistry, The Acta Group (Acta®) was quoted by Bloomberg Law regarding a substantial decrease in chemical data being posted to the ChemView database by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) due to resource constraints. This information is used by the public, industry, and environmental groups to easily access health and safety information for hundreds of chemicals. Businesses might need the information...

On December 2, 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published an updated New Approach Methods (NAM) Work Plan (Updated Work Plan). EPA created the work plan to prioritize its efforts and resources toward activities that aim to reduce the use of vertebrate animal testing while continuing to protect human health and the environment. EPA describes its updated roadmap and identifies steps intended to reduce the use of vertebrate animals for toxicity testing and related research...

On December 7, 2021, the House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittees on Environment and on Research and Technology held a joint hearing entitled “Forever Chemicals: Research and Development for Addressing the PFAS Problem.” Four witnesses spoke before the subcommittees on their respective knowledge of the current state of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and where each felt future actions should be focused: Dr. Elsie Sunderland, Gordon McKay Professor of...

On November 24, 2021, Lynn L. Bergeson, President, The Acta Group (Acta®), and Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Director of Chemistry, Acta, were quoted by Bloomberg Law regarding planned increases for Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) fees.  Lynn L. Bergeson, managing partner, with Bergeson and Campbell PC, said EPA’s fee revisions will be the “main event” for companies to watch. Tuesday’s announcement appears to be the statute’s routine adjustment...

On November 23, 2021, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) announced his intention to reintroduce the Protect America’s Children from Toxic Pesticides Act of 2021, that would amend the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) “to [protect fully] the safety of children and the environment, to remove dangerous pesticides from use, and for other purposes.” Similar legislation was introduced in the House (H.R. 7940) and Senate (S. 4406) in 2020, but the bills did not...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on November 23, 2021, legally mandated changes to the fee requirements under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). This is not the fee adjustment we have been awaiting. It is a routine increase that TSCA directs EPA every three years to adjust the fees. The adjustment will go into effect on January 1, 2022, and will apply to all TSCA fees. The fee adjustment will not be retroactive and will not impact...

On November 23, 2021, Chemical Watch featured comments by Lynn L. Bergeson, President, The Acta Group (Acta®) and Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Director of Chemistry, Acta, regarding a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plan to use Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) significant new use rules (SNUR) to address inactive per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). "The Snur authority is a de facto bar to manufacture/import," Lynn Bergeson and Rich Engler...

On November 8, 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (H.R. 3684) was presented to President Joseph Biden (D) for signature. The House passed the bill on November 5, 2021, by a vote of 228 to 206, and the Senate passed the bill on August 10, 2021, by a vote of 69 to 30. The bill contains many important provisions. We highlight below some of the provisions in the 1,039-page bill that we believe our clients and friends may find interesting. Pesticides Under the...

On November 11, 2021, James V. Aidala, Vice President, Policy and Government Affairs, The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted by Inside EPA’s Inside TSCA regarding state regulations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). A former EPA toxics chief says Michigan’s new executive order limiting purchases of products made with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) not only expands a nationwide patchwork of state-level PFAS policies, but shows that the reformed...