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On August 22, 2012, a divided Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) voted three-to-two in favor of adopting a final rule regarding disclosure and reporting obligations with respect to the use of conflict minerals to implement the requirements of Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank). Not surprisingly, the vote was along party lines with Chairwoman Shapiro and Commissioners Aguilar and Walter voting in favor and Commissioners Paredes and...
August 22, 2012
Lynn L. Bergeson Will Chair Session at Newly-Organized Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization Conference
Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C), B&C Consortia Management, L.L.C. (BCCM), and The Acta Group (Acta) are pleased to announce that Lynn L. Bergeson will chair a session of the first Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization (SNO) conference, which will be held November 4-6, 2012, in Arlington, Virginia. The conference will address the critical aspects of sustainable nanotechnology, including lifecycle assessment, green synthesis, green energy, food and agriculture,...
August 10, 2012
EPA Announces Proposed SNUR for Perfluoroalkyl Sulfonate and Long-Chain Perfluoroalkyl Carboxylate
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a pre-publication version of a proposed amendment to the significant new use rule (SNUR) for perfluoroalkyl sulfonate (PFAS) chemical substances (available at 40 C.F.R. § 721.9582) to add seven PFAS chemical substances that have completed the new chemical review process under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), but have not yet commenced production or import, and to designate (for all listed PFAS chemical substances) processing as a...
August 7, 2012
EPA and USDA Seek to Expand Public Engagement in Proposed Revisions to ESA Consultation Process within Registration Review
On August 3, 2012, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) (together, the Services) announced the availability of proposed revisions to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) consultation process as it is conducted within the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Registration Review process. The written proposal is available online....
AUSTRALIA Australia Amends ICNA Regulations: The National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme's (NICNAS) July 2012 Chemical Gazette includes a notice regarding amendments to the Industrial Chemicals (Notification and Assessment) (ICNA) Act and regulations arising from changes to the Work Health and Safety Legislation. The Governor-General approved the amendments to the ICNA r egulations on May 24, 2012, and...
On July 27, 2012, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) released proposed Safer Consumer Products Regulations (Proposed Regulations). The Proposed Regulations, subject to a 45-day comment period, are the newest iteration of the much anticipated regulatory implementation of California's Green Chemistry Initiative. The Proposed Regulations have been through several iterations, including an "informal draft" that was released in October 2011, and other drafts released on June...
In a largely symbolic vote along party lines, on July 25, 2012, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee by a 10-8 vote passed an amended version of Senator Frank Lautenberg's (D-NJ) Safe Chemicals Act of 2011 (S. 847). Despite the Committee's passage of the bill, the legislation faces a headwind of opposition from Senate Republicans and the chemical industry and is unlikely to be passed this year. Republicans criticized the scheduled markup of the Safe Chemicals Act, particularly in...
On July 11, 2012, China's State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) published Order Number 53, Measures for the Administration of Registration of Hazardous Chemicals, which replaces its 2002 predecessor. Order Number 53 extends the chemical registration requirements to importers and manufacturers/producers. An increase in the number of substances defined as "hazardous chemicals" in China is also expected. The Order will enter into force on August 1, 2012, and the chemicals...
July 25, 2012
Senate Holds Hearing on Oversight of EPA Authorities and Actions to Control Exposures to Toxic Chemicals
The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics, and Environmental Health held a joint hearing yesterday entitled "Oversight of EPA Authorities and Actions to Control Exposures to Toxic Chemicals." The hearing examined current initiatives related to flame retardant chemicals as a means of exploring the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) authority over chemical safety under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). During the July 24, 2012,...
Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C), B&C Consortia Management, L.L.C. (BCCM), and The Acta Group (Acta) are pleased to announce that on October 26, 2012, Lynn L. Bergeson will Co-Chair a Practising Law Institute seminar entitled "Chemical Management Laws 2012: Business Opportunity, Public Protection or Barrier to Trade?" The seminar will be held in New York City, New York, and there will be groupcasts in Columbus, Ohio; Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania; New Brunswick,...