On October 14, 2020, a coalition of North Carolina non-governmental organizations (NGO) petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 4 test rule for 54 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) manufactured by The Chemours Company (Chemours) at its chemical production facility in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The petition, filed under TSCA Section 21, seeks issuance of a rule or order under TSCA Section 4 compelling...
October 21, 2020
EPA Reminds Companies of November 1 Deadline to Submit CBI Substantiations for NOA Form A
On October 16, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reminded companies that if they filed a retrospective activity notice (Notice of Activity (NOA) Form A) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Inventory Notification (Active-Inactive) Rule and claimed the specific chemical identity as confidential business information (CBI), they have until November 1, 2020, to submit or amend their CBI substantiations. Companies that amend, update, or file new CBI...
Alexandra Dapolito Dunn, Assistant Administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) stated on October 11, 2019, that EPA will provide more time for public comment on its draft risk evaluations before the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC) meets to peer review the draft documents. According to Dunn, the new schedule will include a comment period of at least 30 days...
Representatives Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Chair of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, wrote to Amazon Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chair Jeff Bezos on October 7, 2020, requesting that he launch an investigation into the safety of Amazon’s product line, AmazonBasics, and answer a series of questions pertaining to the company’s product safety and recall...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted on October 6, 2020, a manufacturer request for a risk evaluation of octamethylcyclotetra-siloxane (D4), a chemical used to make other silicone chemicals and as an ingredient in some personal care products. Through the American Chemistry Council’s Silicones Environmental, Health, and Safety Center, Dow Silicones Corporation, Elkem Silicones USA Corporation, Evonik Corporation, Momentive Performance Materials, Shin-Etsu Silicones...
October 5, 2020
EPA Accepting Public Comments for Candidates under Consideration for TSCA SACC Membership
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is accepting public comments for all candidates under consideration for membership on the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC). Biographies for all candidates are available in Docket ID EPA-HQ-OPPT-2020-0135. When providing comments, EPA states that stakeholders should not submit electronically any information considered to be confidential business information (CBI) or other information whose...
October 1, 2020
EPA States TSCA Section 21 Petition for Risk Management Rule Not Valid, Treats It as an APA Petition
In a letter dated July 28, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) acknowledged the receipt of a Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 21 petition requesting EPA to “initiate a proceeding for the issuance of a risk management procedural rule under TSCA section 6” submitted on behalf of the National Association of Manufacturers, the American Coatings Association, the National Association of Home Builders, the Toy Association, and the U.S. Chamber of...
October 1, 2020
EPA OIG Finds TSCA Service Fee Fund Financial Statements to Be “Fairly Presented and Free of Material Misstatement”
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) published on September 30, 2020, its audit of EPA’s Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Service Fee Fund financial statements for the period from Inception (June 22, 2016) through September 30, 2018. The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (Lautenberg Act) requires EPA to prepare and OIG to audit the TSCA Service Fee Fund financial statements each year. OIG states that its...
On September 24, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the final risk evaluation for cyclic aliphatic bromide cluster (HBCD). EPA found unreasonable risks to the environment from six out of 12 conditions of use and unreasonable risks to workers and occupational non-users (ONU) from the use and disposal of HBCD in building and construction materials. EPA found no unreasonable risks to the general population and no unreasonable risks to consumers. EPA’s next step...
September 23, 2020
EPA Will Hold Webinar on Proposed Nomination Form to Add NAMs to TSCA Section 4(h)(2)(c)
On September 30, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold a webinar on “Identification of NAMs for Placement on the TSCA Section 4(h)(2)(C) List: A Proposed NAM Nomination Form.” The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (Lautenberg Act) amended Section 4(h)(2)(c) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to require EPA to develop a list of alternative test methods or strategies that are “scientifically reliable, relevant, and capable of...