Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are attracting global legal, regulatory, commercial, and litigation attention as no other “emerging contaminant” has. Companies producing, processing, distributing, and/or using these substances must be aware of global legal and scientific developments and take steps now to minimize legal, regulatory, and commercial risk. Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and its global consulting affiliate The Acta Group (Acta®) have prepared...
On December 6, 2024, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) issued a notice stating that the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) approved changes to the Proposition 65 (Prop 65) Article 6 “clear and reasonable warnings” regulations for “short-form” warnings (Notice). The changes adopted are to the proposed regulations that OEHHA issued on October 27, 2023. The history of these amendments, dating back to January 2021, are set forth in our memoranda...
December 12, 2024
EPA Begins Public Consultation on Interim Framework for Advancing Consideration of Cumulative Impacts
On November 21, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a draft Interim Framework for Advancing Consideration of Cumulative Impacts (Interim Framework). 89 Fed. Reg. 92125. According to EPA, the Interim Framework provides a shared reference point for EPA programs and regions as they determine when and how to analyze and consider cumulative impacts. EPA states that Agency programs will incorporate the Interim Framework “into their processes and programs, as appropriate,...
On December 5, 2024, the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight held a hearing on “Examining the Public Health Impacts of PFAS Exposures.” The Subcommittee heard from the following witnesses (written testimony is not available at this time): A transcript of the hearing is available online. Schaider testified that there needs to be a comprehensive strategy to address all per- and...
December 10, 2024
EPA Releases Final Supplement to the Risk Evaluation and Revised Unreasonable Risk Determination for 1,4-Dioxane
On November 13, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of its final supplement to the risk evaluation and revised unreasonable risk determination for 1,4-dioxane under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). 89 Fed. Reg. 89993. EPA states in the Federal Register notice that it “used the best available science to prepare this final supplement to the risk evaluation and has determined that 1,4-dioxane poses unreasonable risk to human health.” EPA notes...
On November 21, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of the National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution: Part Three of a Series on Building a Circular Economy for All. According to EPA, together with EPA’s “National Recycling Strategy” and the “National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics,” the “National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution” presents opportunities for voluntary and regulatory actions by...
On November 18, 2024, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) requested comments on planned rules governing reporting and fees paid by manufacturers upon submission of required information about products containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). MPCA notes that “[a]t this stage, we do not have a draft rule; we want your feedback to inform us about the ideas described under the Subject of Rules section.” Instead, the purpose of the current request for comments (RFC)...
On August 1, 2023, Earthjustice filed a petition under Section 21 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish regulations prohibiting the manufacturing, processing, use, and distribution of the chemical N-(1,3-Dimethylbutyl)-N′-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD) for and in tires. Earthjustice filed the petition on behalf of the Yurok Tribe, the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, and the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, and EPA granted the...
On October 31, 2024, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael S. Regan signed a final rule revising the regulations for decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE) and phenol, isopropylated phosphate (3:1) (PIP (3:1)), two of the five persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) chemicals addressed in final rules issued under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) in January 2021. According to the pre-publication version of the final rule (which is only available on EPA’s...
On October 9, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it has issued its fifth Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) test order requiring testing on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under its National PFAS Testing Strategy. The order requires Innovative Chemical Technologies, The Chemours Company, Daikin America, Inc., Sumitomo Corporation of Americas, and E.I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company to conduct and submit testing on...