Entries by Verdant Law

Department of Interior to Issue Rules Requiring Disclosure of Chemicals Used in Fracking

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Right-to-Know/Transparency: According to Reuters, on Monday, October 31, 2011, Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Interior (DOI), David Hayes, told the Department of Energy’s shale-gas advisory panel that DOI will issue rules “in a couple of months” requiring the disclosure of the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” on federal lands.  Fracking is the controversial technique that involves injecting a mixture of water, […]

EPA Assistant Administrator Steve Owens Resigns

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EPA Administration/Chemical Regulation: On Tuesday, October 25, 2011, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the resignation of Assistant Administrator Steve Owens.  Readers will recall that President Obama appointed Mr. Owens the Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), which is the office implementing the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the Federal […]

EPA Issues Testing Rules and a Significant New Use Rule for HPV Chemicals

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TSCA/HPV Chemical Testing: On October 21, 2011, utilizing its authority under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), 15 U.S.C. §2601 et seq., EPA published two Federal Register notices announcing testing rules for certain high production volume (HPV) chemicals as well as significant new use rules (SNURs) for other HPV chemicals.  HPV chemicals are those with a production/import volume […]

European Commission Adopts a Common Definition of "Nanomaterial"

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Nanotechnology: On October 18, 2011, the European Commission officially adopted the definition of “nanomaterial” set out in its Recommendation.  In the Recommendation, “nanomaterial” is defined in the following manner. “Nanomaterial’ means a natural, incidental or manufactured material containing particles, in an unbound state or as an aggregate or as an agglomerate and where, for 50 % or […]

Phil Moffat Will Speak About Green Marketing at the 2011 ASC Fall Conference and Expo

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Green Marketing: Verdant is pleased to announce that Philip Moffat will speak at the 2011 ASC Fall Conference and Expo in Indianapolis, Indiana on October 16 – 18.  Phil will discuss marketing and enforcement trends, the tools available to regulate green marketing in the U.S. and elsewhere, and the legal risks attending the marketing of “sustainable” […]

EPA Launches Green Products Web Portal for Pollution Prevention Week

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Sustainable Products/Green Marketing: This week is Pollution Prevention Week.  And to help celebrate the Week, EPA has announced the launch of a new portal to help consumers find so-called “Greener Products.”   The tool is intended to provide consumers information about everyday products, enabling them to identify those that require less energy or water, or use safer chemicals.  The Agency’s announcement […]

EPA to Identify Priority Chemicals for Review

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Readers interested in EPA chemical risk management efforts may be interested in the Agency’s new initiative to identify priority chemicals for review and possible risk management action under TSCA. This initiative is part Agency efforts to enhance its chemical management program.  The Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics notes that strengthening EPA’s chemicals management and […]

EPA Awards Contracts to U.S. Companies to Screen Chemicals for Human Health Impacts

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Chemical Screening: EPA continues in its laudable quest to screen thousands of chemicals.  See press release below. +++++++++++ EPA Awards Contracts to U.S. Companies to Screen Chemicals for Human Health Impacts WASHINGTON— The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ToxCast chemical screening program has awarded contracts to four United States-based companies to test up to 10,000 […]

EPA Publishes Rule to Improve Reporting of Chemical Information – Chemical Data Reporting Rule, Formerly Inventory Update Rule

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TSCA – Inventory Update Rule: Readers may recall a post from this time last year concerning EPA’s proposal to revise TSCA’s Inventory Update Rule.  Well, the Agency has now published the final version, which is available here.  Also, here are links to commentary on the rule from Environmental Defense and the National Petrochemical and Refiners’ Assocation, which […]

Upcoming Event: Chemical Regulation in Canada – Lessons for U.S. Reforms

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TSCA/CEPA: Readers attending the ABA’s meeting in Toronto in August may be interested in the following event concerning the Canadian system for regulating industrial chemicals and lessons that system may offer the United States as it debates TSCA Reform.  A short description is embedded below, and more information about the annual meeting is available here.  The […]