All Knowledge & Insights By Date

On January 10, 2017, Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report quoted The Acta Group (Acta®) Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs Consultant James V. Aidala regarding a recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) risk assessment. The risk assessment also could be a sign of how the EPA will address the suite of organophosphate pesticides slated for review later this year, including chlorpyrifos and malathion. Industry groups are concerned this could hamper the...

On January 9, 2017, Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Senior Chemist with The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted in “The Chemical Industry’s Having a Bad Reaction to New Regs.” As a result, some chemists feel like they must dial back their ambitions to pass review. “New chemicals are taking significantly longer to get through the EPA process now,” says Rich Engler, a chemical consultant with environmental law firm Bergeson & Campbell. “If I were advising a client...

On January 4, 2017, the White House announced the release of the 2017 Update to the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology.  The 2017 Update provides a comprehensive summary of the roles and responsibilities of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) with respect to regulating biotechnology products.  Together with the National Strategy for Modernizing the...

On January 5, 2017, the Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report Article, “Outlook 2017: Amended Chemicals Law Implementation Top Priority,” quoted Charles M. Auer, Senior Regulatory and Policy Advisor with Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), regarding how Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) Rule information will be used in the future to help prioritize risk evaluations and other chemical regulatory activities. The EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention...

On January 4, 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published its final rule revising its regulation concerning the certification of applicators of restricted use pesticides (RUP).  EPA states that the final rule is intended to ensure federal certification program standards adequately protect applicators, the public, and the environment from risks associated with the use of RUPs.  According to EPA, the final rule will improve the competency of certified...

The Product Stewardship Society recently released Stewardship 2016, an eBook looking back on the highlights of Stewardship 2016. Lynn L. Bergeson, President of The Acta Group (Acta®), was quoted discussing the U.S. regulatory framework for nanotechnology as well as potential legal and stewardship issues that nanochemicals face. Lynn Bergeson, managing partner at Bergeson & Campbell, started working with nanotechnology a decade ago, when it was unclear how the U.S. regulatory...

Acta® Will Present Deeper Dive On Chemical Substance Regulation In Central And South America: The Acta Group (Acta) is pleased to offer our clients, associated businesses, and corporate product stewards and regulatory personnel a follow-up to our November 2016 webinar “Current Opportunities and Challenges with Chemical Substance Regulation in Mexico and Central and South America.” This second webinar, “Chemical Substance Regulation in Central and South America: A Deeper Dive,”...

On December 20, 2016, EPA announced the start of a pilot program to evaluate the usefulness and acceptability of a mathematical tool (the GHS Mixtures Equation), which is used in the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). EPA states that the goal of the pilot program is to “evaluate the utility and acceptability of the GHS Mixtures Equation as an alternative to animal oral and inhalation toxicity studies for pesticide formulations.” For...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is scheduled to publish in the December 21, 2016, Federal Register a final rule regarding procedures for rulemaking under Section 6 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).  Under TSCA Section 6, EPA has the authority to address risks from chemical substances, and Section 6 includes procedures that EPA must follow.  As amended by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, TSCA no longer mandates certain...

EPA Proposes To Add Nonylphenol Ethoxylates To Section 313: On November 16, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed to add nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE) as a category for which reporting is needed under Section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). 81 Fed. Reg. 80624. EPA is proposing to add this chemical category to the EPCRA Section 313 list because EPA believes NPEs meet the EPCRA Section 313(d)(2)(C) toxicity criteria. Specifically,...