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 New Screening Levels - The May 2024 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regional screening levels (RSLs) include more stringent screening levels for 1-methylnapthalene in residential soil, industrial soil, and...more
On November 29, Ohio Attorney General (AG) Dave Yost and Governor Mark DeWine announced a proposed $110 million settlement with Du Pont De Nemours and Co. and The Chemours Company over alleged chemical contamination from...more
On July 31, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it provided more than $1.3 million in funding to a team of researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison to develop nanosensor technology...more
On Tuesday, March 14, EPA released pre-publication proposed Maximum Contaminant Limits (MCLs) for six specific per- or poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also referred to colloquially as “forever chemicals” and “emerging...more
Regulation Would Apply to PFOA, PFOS, GenX, PFBS, PFHxS, and PFNA - On March 14, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed new primary drinking water regulations for six of the most common per- and...more
On October 28, 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) listed 1,4-dioxane on the Fifth Contaminant Candidate List (“CCL 5”). This is an important step to EPA’s potential regulation of 1,4-dioxane under the Safe...more
During the first half of 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continued to make progress on the actions outlined in its per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) Strategic Roadmap, which contains a schedule...more
On December 7, 2021, the House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittees on Environment and on Research and Technology held a joint hearing entitled “Forever Chemicals: Research and Development for Addressing the PFAS...more
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) broadly refers to the family of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. These man-made chemicals were developed in the 1940’s and PFASs have been used to greaseproof,...more
On April 13, House lawmakers on Capitol Hill introduced the PFAS Action Act of 2021, a bill that would require the EPA to institute a federal drinking water standard for two specific PFAS compounds....more
On October 14, 2020, a coalition of non-governmental organizations (NGO) petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under Section 21 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to request that EPA require health...more
In recent months, EPA has taken significant regulatory steps to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a large group of so-called "forever chemicals" used in consumer products and industrial processes that are...more
Both Congress and United States Environmental Protection Agency (“USEPA”) are working to address what some call a “PFAS contamination crisis.” Enforcement actions and lawsuits have so far focused on the companies that have...more
Per- and polyfluorinated substances (“PFAS”) are not all alike. Two – perfluorooctanoic acid (“PFOA”) and perfluoroctane sulfonate (“PFOS”) – are relatively well known and studied. And then there are the rest: by various...more
In a divisive political climate, one issue many Republicans and Democrats seem to agree upon is the need to take action on per- and poly-fluorinated chemical compounds (“PFAs”). These chemicals include, but are not limited...more
The United States Environmental Protection Agency is publishing in the Federal Register a notice of draft toxicity assessments for GenX chemicals and PFBS. PFBS are titled Perfluorobutane Sulfonic Acid which include...more
On June 19, 2018, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup (BWSC) issued its Interim Guidance on Sampling and Analysis for PFAS at Disposal Sites Regulated under the...more
Ever since President Trump took office in January 2017, several questions have arisen within the environmental community regarding how his administration will change the legal and enforcement priorities of the United States...more
TSCA/FIFRA/IRIS/NTP/TRI - 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...more
TSCA/FIFRA/IRIS/NTP/TRI - EPA Releases TRI Preliminary Dataset For Calendar Year 2015: On July 20, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI)...more
Firm clients and friends with interests in perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), and other perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) are likely aware that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is...more
EPA Denies Petition To Ban Triclosan: On May 13, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) denied a petition submitted in January 2010 by Food & Water Watch and Beyond Pesticides seeking to ban triclosan, an...more
In the past ten days, the federal government has articulated different views on the utility and effectiveness of FracFocus, a website used by many operators to report the chemicals used to fracture their wells. In its final...more
EPA’s current estimate of the completion time for a draft of its study of the risks posed by hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) to drinking water is now projected by the agency to be developed in early 2015. This is based on...more
On February 4, 2014, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy held a hearing entitled "Testing of Chemicals and Reporting and Retention of Information under TSCA Sections 4 and 8." This was...more