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Richard E. Engler, Ph.D. is Director of Chemistry with The Acta Group (Acta^®).  Dr. Engler is a 17-year veteran of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and is one of the most widely recognized experts in the field of green chemistry, having served as senior staff scientist in EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) and leader of EPA's Green Chemistry Program.  He has participated in thousands of Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) substance reviews at EPA, as well as pre-notice and post-review meetings with submitters to resolve complex or difficult cases, and he draws upon this invaluable experience to assist Acta clients as they develop and commercialize novel chemistries.

Dr. Engler's expansive understanding of the specific challenges and opportunities TSCA presents for green and sustainable chemistry is a powerful asset for clients during regulatory review.  He assists clients in performing toxicological reviews, performing environmental fate modeling using Sustainable Futures tools, and preparing scientific and test data for regulatory submission.  He is particularly skilled in preparing Pollution Prevention (P2) statements to highlight the concrete environmental benefits of biobased or renewable chemicals, as well as other sustainable chemistry products and processes.

During his years at EPA, Dr. Engler was an advocate for green chemistry and leader of the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards, served many years on the organizing committee of the American Chemical Society's Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference, performed relevancy reviews for EPA's Office of Research and Development Small Business Innovation Results funding, and represented EPA on the NSF/GCI/ANSI 355: Greener Chemicals and Processes Information Standard development committee, where he served as Vice-Chair.  He also taught risk-based decision-making at the University of California, Berkeley Extension's Green Chemistry Certificate program.

Dr. Engler holds a Ph.D. in physical organic chemistry from the University of California, San Diego, and taught classes in organic chemistry there and at the University of San Diego prior to joining EPA.

Representative Engagements:

• Assisted Fortune 50 company with business-critical new chemical notice and coordinated closely with EPA to achieve timely success.
• Prepared an Optional P2 Statement for a premanufacture notice (PMN) submitted by a leading global specialty chemical company that lead to a determination of reduced relative risk and a no Section 5 regulatory action on the PMN substance.
• Responded to concerns raised during review of a PMN submitted to reduce a risk-based, up-front ban to a non-risk-based Significant New Use Rule (SNUR).
• Prepared comments on an existing chemical SNUR to describe accurately on-going uses to protect a Fortune 500 business’ critical product lines and protect confidential business information.
• Assisted small, startup biobased chemical company with determining which of its intermediates and byproducts are reportable under TSCA.
• Assisted leading U.S. additive producer with substance identity profile (SIP) and sameness reviews for Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) registrations.
• Prepared a regulatory analysis to demonstrate compliance with TSCA Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) regulations and to avoid a threatened lawsuit against a Fortune 500 company.
• Assisted global chemical company with preparation for EPA TSCA audit and attended site visit by EPA inspectors; addressed to inspector’s questions in the moment, avoiding additional follow-on questions by EPA.
• Assisted small company to respond to EPA TSCA audit; ensured that responses were within the scope of the audit, avoiding additional data gathering.

Professional & Community Involvement:

Member, American Chemical Society, 1986 - present

Member, Sigma Xi Research Society, 1990 - present

ACS GCI/NSF Standard 355 - Joint Committee for Greener Chemical, Products and Processes Information Standard (vice chair, subgroup chair, voting member), 2009-2011

Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference Organizing Committee, 2002-2010, 2013

Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Diversity Action Plan Committee, 1999-2001

Publications:

Books:

Richard Engler, Ph.D., "Pre-market Approval of Chemical Substances: How New Chemical Products Are Regulated," in How to Commercialize Chemical Technologies for a Sustainable Future, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. (2021).

Lynn L. Bergeson, Christopher Blunck, and Richard Engler, Ph.D., co-authors, “Pesticides, Chemical Regulation, and Right-to-Know 2020 Annual Report," in The Year in Review 2020: Environment, Energy, and Resources Law, American Bar Association (2021).

Lynn L. Bergeson, Charles Auer, Richard Engler, Ph.D., and Kathleen Roberts, co-authors, “Pesticides, Chemical Regulation, and Right-to-Know 2019 Annual Report," in The Year in Review 2019: Environment, Energy, and Resources Law, American Bar Association (2020).

Lynn L. Bergeson, Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., co-authors, “Pesticides, Chemical Regulation, and Right-To-Know 2017 Annual Report,” in The Year in Review 2017: Environment, Energy, and Resources Law, American Bar Association (2018).

Lynn L. Bergeson, Charles M. Auer, Co-Editors; Timothy D. Backstrom, Lisa R. Burchi, Lisa M. Campbell, Sheryl L. Dolan, Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Margaret R. Graham, Oscar Hernandez, Ph.D., Carla N. Hutton, Kathleen M. Roberts, Contributing Authors, New TSCA: A Guide to the Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act and Its Implementation, American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources (2017).

Lynn L. Bergeson, Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., co-authors, “Pesticides, Chemical Regulation, and Right-To-Know 2016 Annual Report,” in The Year in Review 2016: Environment, Energy, and Resources Law, American Bar Association (2017).

Articles:

Lynn L. Bergeson and Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., “Optimizing the Toxic Substances Control Act to Achieve Greener Chemicals,” NR&E, Summer 2022.

Lynn L. Bergeson, Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., et al., “Compilation Memorandum Regarding the GCSE Plastics Reports: France and the United States: Comparative Law Analysis and Recommendations Regarding Plastic Waste,” Global Council for Science and the Environment, March 15, 2022.

Richard E. Engler, Ph.D. and Jeffery T. Morris, Ph.D., "Why the US EPA can, and should, evaluate the risk-reducing role a new chemical may play if allowed on the market," Chemical Watch, February 22, 2021.

Lynn L. Bergeson, Richard E. Engler, Charles M. Auer, and Kathleen M. Roberts, "New Chemicals Under New TSCA—Stalled Commercialization," Bloomberg Environment Insights, September 11-13, 2018.

Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., "EPA Includes Active-Inactive Designations on Updated TSCA Inventory," ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources PCRRTK Newsletter, Volume 19, Issue 3, July 2018.

Lynn L. Bergeson, Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., and Lauren M. Graham, Ph.D., "TSCA Affects on Algae, Other Novel Biosources, and Bioprocesses," Industrial Biotechnology, Volume 13, Issue 5, October 2017.

Lynn L. Bergeson, James V. Aidala, Jr., Charles M. Auer, Richard Engler, Ph.D., and Oscar Hernandez, "Practitioner Insights: Enhancing TSCA Reform Implementation," Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report, August 2, 2017.

Kathleen M. Roberts, Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Charles M. Auer, Lynn L. Bergeson, "An Analysis of Section 8 of the New Toxic Substances Control Act," BNA Daily Environment Report, August 9, 2016.

L. Bergeson, B. Auerbach, L. Campbell, T. Backstrom, S. Dolan, J. Vergnes, R. Engler, J. Bultena, K. Baron, C. Auer, "The DNA of the U.S. Regulatory System: Are We Getting It Right for Synthetic Biology?," Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Synthetic Biology Project Report, October 15, 2015.

Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., "The Impact of Toxic Substances Control Act Nomenclature on the Commercialization of Biobased Chemicals," AOCS Inform, July/August, 2015.

Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., "Thought Leadership: The Toxic Substances Control Act and the Bioeconomy: Part 3, Call to Action," Biofuels Digest, May 18, 2015.

Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., "Thought Leadership: The Toxic Substances Control Act and the Bioeconomy: Part 2, Reportable Substances across the Manufacturing Process," Biofuels Digest, May 1, 2015.

Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., "The Toxic Substances Control Act and the Bioeconomy: Part 1, The Impact of Nomenclature on the Commercialization of Biobased Chemicals," Biofuels Digest, April 26, 2015.

Engler, Richard E., "The Complex Interaction Between Plastic Marine Debris and Toxic Chemicals in the Ocean."Environ. Sci. Technol., 46, 12302 (2012) (doi: 10.1021/es3027105).

Engler, Richard E., "Green Engineering-Integration of Green Chemistry, Pollution Prevention, and Risk-Based Considerations: Overview." In Kent and Riegel's Handbook of Industrial Chemistry and Biotechnology, 11^th Edition, Springer-Verlag, 2007.

"Green Chemistry." In Encyclopedia of Toxicology, 2^nd Edition, Philip Wexler, Ed., Academic Press, 2005 (doi: 10.1016/B0-12-369400-0/00463-4).

Perrin, C. L., Engler, R. E., and Young, D. B., "The Role of Bicarbonate Ion in the Base-Catalyzed Hydrolysis of Cyclic Imidatonium Ion." J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 122, 4877 (2000) (doi: 10.1021/ja993771f).

Perrin, C. L. and Engler, R. E., "Origin of Apparent Stereoelectronic Effects in Structure and Reactivity of Benzoquinone Monooximes." J. Org. Chem., 62, 687 (1997) (doi: 10.1021/jo961386s).

Perrin, C. L. and Engler, R. E., "Quantitative Assessment by 1D-EXSY NMR of Stereoelectronic Control in Acid-catalyzed Exchange Between Stereoisomeric 2-Methoxy-1,3-dioxanes and Methanol," J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 119, 585 (1997) (doi: 10.1021/ja962808i).

Perrin, C. L. and Engler, R. E., "Accurate Rate Constants for Chemical Exchange from Improved Weighted Linear Least-Squares Analysis of Multiple 1D-EXSY Data," J. Magn. Reson., 123, 188 (1996) (doi: 10.1006/jmra.1996.0234).

Perrin, C.L. and Engler, R. E., "Secondary H/D Kinetic Isotope Effect for Dissociation of Aqueous Ammonium Ion." J. Phys. Chem., 95, 8431 (1991) (doi: 10.1006/jmra.1996.0234).

Perrin, C. L., Engler, R. E., "Weighted Linear Least Squares Analysis of EXSY Data from Multiple 1D Selective Inversion Experiments," J. Magn. Reson., 90, 363 (1990) (doi: 10.1016/0022-2364(90)90143-w).

Engler, R. E., Johnston, E. R., and Wade, C. G., "Dynamic Parameters from Nonselectively Generated 1D Exchange Spectra," J. Magn. Reson., 77, 377 (1988) (doi: 10.1016/0022-2364(88)90188-6).

Speaking Engagements:

“WEBINAR – Articles under TSCA,” Bergeson & Campbell, P.C., (December 14, 2022).

“TSCA Section 18 -- Preemption,” HCPA XPAND2022, (December 6, 2022).

“Biobased Chemicals under TSCA,” HCPA XPAND2022, (December 5, 2022).

“Living in a Circular World: The Challenges of Complying with TSCA,” Product Sustainability Summit USA 2022, (November 16, 2022).

“TSCA Fundamentals,” Chemical Watch Training Course, (September 1, 2, 7, and 8, 2022).

“Situational Regulatory Awareness -- What to Do When a Single Chemical Product Is Subject to Three Major Regulations -- TSCA, FIFRA, and FFDCA,” NACD Pre-Conference Regulatory Workshop, (August 17, 2022).

“WEBINAR – TSCA New Approach Methodologies,” Bergeson & Campbell, P.C., (August 3, 2022).

“New Chemical Review,” TSCA Reform – Six Years Later (June 29, 2022).

“The Role of Sustainable Thinking in New Chemical Reviews,” ACS 26th Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference (June 6, 2022).

“WEBINAR – Domestic Chemical Regulation and Achieving Circularity,” Bergeson & Campbell, P.C., (May 18, 2022).

“TSCA New Chemicals in 2022,” HCPA IMPACT2022, (May 11, 2022).

"Sustainable Cleaning Chemistries for a Healthier World," Case Medical, (February 23, 2022).

“WEBINAR -- What to Expect in Chemicals in 2022,” Bergeson & Campbell, P.C., (January 26, 2022).

“Chemical policy evolution in the US,” Chemical Watch Global Electronics Summit, (September 21, 2021).

“TSCA risk management: Chemicals with relevance to electronics,” Chemical Watch Global Electronics Summit, (September 21, 2021).

“WEBINAR -- PFAS Reporting Rules -- What Every Company Needs to Know,” Bergeson & Campbell, P.C., (September 9, 2021).

“Pre-Conference Regulatory TSCA Workshop,” NACD ChemEdge, (August 11, 2021).

“U.S. Chemical Regulation: What’s New, What’s Hot,” Mondaq, (July 28, 2021).

“TSCA Fundamentals,” Chemical Watch, (June 3, 10, 17, and 24, 2021).

“Chemical Identity and the EPA Process for Approving new PFAS Chemicals,” Chemical Watch PFAS Updates, (June 23, 2021).

“What To Expect When You’re Electing (a New President),” Bergeson & Campbell, P.C., (January 28, 2021).

“New Chemical Review,” TSCA Reform – Five Years Later, (June 30, 2021).

“Green and Sustainable Chemistry in Manufacturing for More Sustainable Household and Personal Care Products,” 25th Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference, (June 14, 2021).  

“CBI Challenges and Opportunities,” GlobalChem TSCA Workshop, (March 29, 2021).

“Plastics and UNEA,” GlobalChem 2021, (March 31, 2021).

“What To Expect When You’re Electing (a New President),” Bergeson & Campbell, P.C., (January 28, 2021).

“Evaluating New Chemicals and Disconnects in Hazard Communication,” PSX 2020, (September 16, 2020). 

“TSCA Developments 2020,” Chemical Watch, (July 16, 2020).

“TSCA Fundamentals,” Chemical Watch, (July 15, 2020).

“Road-map for Innovators - Commercialization in a Circular Economy,” 24th Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference, (June 16, 2020).

"TSCA New Chemicals," GlobalChem Webinar Series, (May 13, 2020).

“State Ingredient Communication Requirements and Related Legal and Commercial Issues Webinar,” Household & Commercial Products Association, (October 3, 2018).

“WEBINAR -- TSCA Confidential Business Information and Generic Naming: Analyzing the New Rules,” Bloomberg BNA and Bergeson & Campbell, P.C., (September 18, 2018).

“New TSCA and Green Chemistry Innovation,” Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference, Portland, Oregon (June 18, 2018). 

“Renewable Chemicals Summit,” Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference on Development & Deployment, Washington, D.C. (March 1, 2018).

 

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