Chemical Engineering Trends, Intellectual Property Litigation, & Industry Predictions – IMS Insights Podcast Episode 50
What to Expect in Chemicals Policy and Regulation and on Capitol Hill in 2023
The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) recently amended its regulations concerning requirements for consumer product warnings to qualify for “safe harbor” protection from enforcement actions...more
On April 21, 2025, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (“MPCA” or “the Agency”) released proposed rules that if finalized would help effectuate the Gopher State’s ban on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”) in...more
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is seeking comment on a first-of-its-kind proposed rule that will require manufacturers of products containing intentionally added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to...more
With the January 1, 2026, reporting deadline fast approaching for reporting on products containing intentionally added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), on April 21, 2025, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency...more
On April 8, 2025, New Mexico became the third state to sign into law a comprehensive ban on the use of intentionally added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in consumer and commercial products: the “Per- and...more
The U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) plays a critical role in regulating chemicals to safeguard human health and the environment. Its 2016 amendment expanded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA's)...more
As discussed in our prior alert, Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) published a proposed rule prescribing procedures and criteria for determining Currently Unavoidable Uses (CUU) of intentionally added per-...more
Our blog has reported previously on California PFAS regulations, including its watershed laws with novel definitions of PFAS and the noted problems with the total organic fluorine testing method. (Prior CA blog posts on...more
California’s Proposition 65 (“Prop. 65”), the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, requires, among other things, sellers of products to provide a “clear and reasonable warning” if use of the product results...more
On April 2 and April 3, 2025, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that petitions have been filed to add the following chemicals to the list of taxable substances...more
“Contaminants Compass” is a monthly newsletter that provides updates, legal observations and actionable tips to navigate the evolving legal “Contaminants Compass” is a monthly newsletter that provides updates, legal...more
The American Chemistry Council (“ACC”) and American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (“AFPM”) sent a March 31st letter to the United States Environmental Agency (“EPA”) requesting: …a two-year exemption from the...more
Last month, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) announced its new classification for “automotive gasoline and some oxygenated gasoline additives.” In a result that follows IARC’s previous pattern and...more
California shoppers might be getting more than just a receipt at checkout — they may also be exposed to a toxic chemical, according to Proposition 65 (“Prop. 65”) enforcer Center for Environmental Health (CEH) represented by...more
On April 2, 2025, Inhance Technologies LLC initiated an action in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia—Inhance Technologies LLC v. Zeldin, Case No. 1:25-cv-00980-JEB—challenging EPA’s refusal to withhold...more
The California Senate Environmental Quality Committee passed California Senate Bill 682 aiming to ban the sale of products with intentionally added perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) unless deemed to have...more
Recently, Congress allocated approximately $17 million in EPA’s fiscal year 2025 budget to modernize outdated technical systems and accelerate chemical reviews which may help resolve ongoing concerns about the functionality...more
This week I had the pleasure of speaking with Melissa Owen, attorney/owner of Ambiente Legal, about the significant regulatory developments regarding chemical registration in Latin America, including Latin American...more
COMPETITION - Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11817 - Metinvest / IB / JV)... Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11962 - Actis / EdF / Bharat Grid)...more
Sixteen Democratic AGs and the Harris County Attorney (Houston, Texas) have filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit brought by industry groups challenging the EPA’s denial of their petition for reconsideration of the...more
Regulation and litigation surrounding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – a class of organic chemicals used in a variety of industrial and consumer products – is on the rise and evolving day-by-day. And the PFAS...more
COMPETITION - Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11929 - MET / Mega)... Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11828 - BNPP / Axa IM)...more
Maine recently published proposed rules (PDF link) aimed at implementation of its existing statute (which we’ve discussed here, here and here) limiting the sale and distribution within the state of products containing...more
The Environmental Research Institute of the States (“ERIS”) released a report titled: Findings of the 2024 Biennial ERIS Survey on State Environmental Agency Research Needs (“Report”)....more
This week I had the pleasure of speaking with Lioba Oerter, Director of Expert Services, 3E Expert Service Processing Centre (ESPC), and Karin F. Baron, Director of Hazard Communication and International Registration Strategy...more