Technology can offer new business opportunities and efficiencies to businesses. However, it can also present new and on-going challenges to the regulation and control of health, safety and environmental issues (and ultimately the potential liability of any business exploiting new technology). One of the ‘key points’ of the Health and Safety Executive Strategy 2016 was … Continue Reading
The UK Government has published a Green Paper on Industrial Strategy, which identifies a number of challenges over the coming years, including: building on existing strengths and extending excellence into the future (with reference to the UK’s global reputation in industrial sectors – from automotive and aerospace to financial and professional services and the creative … Continue Reading
One area of EU law which is developing rapidly relates to improving the circular economy. There are a number of legislative proposals in the pipeline, but with the prospect of the UK leaving the EU in the next few years, what are the implications for these circular economy initiatives, and could there be opportunities for … Continue Reading
The US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) has issued its proposed rule outlining the process by which it will conduct risk evaluations on chemical substances under the recently amended Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), to determine whether the substances present an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment under the conditions of use. … Continue Reading
The UK Environmental Audit Committee (a cross-party parliamentary select committee which considers how well government policies and programmes contribute to environmental protection and sustainable development) has published its report on “The Future of the Natural Environment after the EU Referendum”. The report makes a series of recommendations for actions that the Government should take during … Continue Reading
On November 29, US EPA announced the first 10 chemicals it will evaluate for potential risks to human health and the environment under the recently amended Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). US EPA will evaluate the 10 chemicals to determine whether they “present an unreasonable risk of injury” to health or the environment “under the … Continue Reading
In a recent presentation at the Fifth Annual International Conference NANOSAFE 2016 in Minatec-Grenoble, France, Anthony Bochon explored how companies should address Environmental, Health & Safety Management risks in relation to nanomaterials. He discussed existing employment and consumers safety legal instruments that can be used in Belgium and abroad. A leading expert in this emerging … Continue Reading
On August 30, 2016, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) adopted revised warning requirements under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, commonly known as Proposition 65 and codified at California Health and Safety Code section 25249.5. The new regulations take effect on August 30, 2018. Proposition 65 requires … Continue Reading
Last week, US EPA announced in the Federal Register that it has extended the deadline for companies subject to its Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) rule to submit data on the chemical substances they manufacture and import pursuant to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) from September 30, 2016 to October 31, 2016. For detailed information on the CDR reporting requirements, … Continue Reading
How US EPA assesses and regulates chemicals under the amended Toxic Substances Control Act has a number of implications for workplace and consumer safety regulation. In particular, chemicals regulated under other environmental statutes may bear on US EPA’s plans in this arena. US EPA has not regulated a chemical under TSCA Section 6, which provides … Continue Reading
The British exit from the European Union (Brexit) could significantly impact chemical companies operating within the United Kingdom (UK), depending on the regulatory decisions made by the government. Post-Brexit, REACH, the European Union’s chemicals regulatory scheme will no longer apply to the UK. Upon exiting REACH, UK companies exporting to Europe could face substantial extra … Continue Reading
On July 22, 2016, US EPA issued its first safety determinations on premanufacture notices (PMNs) for new chemicals under TSCA as amended by the recently enacted Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act. US EPA announced the decisions exactly one month after President Obama signed the Lautenberg Act into law on June 22, … Continue Reading
The US EPA has issued a “First Year Implementation Plan” outlining the steps it will take over the next year (and beyond) toward implementing the requirements of the new Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, the legislation signed into law by President Obama on June 22 to modernize the Toxic Substances … Continue Reading
On June 22, 2016 President Barack Obama signed into law the “Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act,” the landmark legislation modernizing the decades-old Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The Lautenberg Act is the first substantive update of TSCA since it was passed 40 years ago in 1976 and signed into law … Continue Reading
Following a referendum which has polarised the nation, the people of the UK have voted to leave the European Union. Stepping away from the political rhetoric and posturing, it is worth reflecting on some of the more practical issues which will arise from this decision, such as how it could affect our environmental law landscape. … Continue Reading
On June 7, 2016 the US Congress passed the “Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act,” the landmark bipartisan, compromise legislation to overhaul the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The Lautenberg Act is expected to be signed into law by President Obama very soon. As passed by Congress, the Lautenberg Act makes … Continue Reading
The clock will soon begin running for companies that are required to report data under US EPA’s Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) rule on the chemical substances they manufacture and import pursuant to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Under the rule, the reports must be submitted to US EPA between June 1 and September 30, … Continue Reading
The latest edition of the British Safety Council’s magazine, Safety Management, features an update article by Anita Lloyd on the implementation of the EU Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) regime for chemicals. June 2015 was the deadline for implementation of EU Regulation 1272/2008 on the Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Substances and Mixtures (CLP). Companies in … Continue Reading
On April 8, 2016, US EPA issued a final significant new use rule (“SNUR”) for trichloroethylene (“TCE”). The TCE SNUR requires anyone manufacturing, importing or processing TCE for use in a consumer product to notify EPA at least 90 days before commencing any such manufacturing, importation or processing. The SNUR expressly exempts the use of … Continue Reading
The topic of the moment in the UK is whether Brexit will be a good or a bad thing for the UK, and it seems to be polarising the nation. Stepping away from the political rhetoric and posturing, it is worth reflecting on some of the more practical issues arising from a UK exit from … Continue Reading
US EPA has agreed to promulgate financial assurance rules for hard rock mining companies by December 1, 2017. Specifically, the agencies requirements will apply to facilities which extract or process metals (e.g., copper, gold, iron, lead, magnesium, molybdenum, silver, uranium, and zinc). The financial assurance requirements will obligate companies performing environmental cleanup to provide a … Continue Reading
On December 17, 2015 the US Senate passed the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, the Senate’s version of legislation to overhaul the Toxic Substances Control Act (“TSCA”). The bipartisan bill was introduced on March 10, 2015 by Senators Tom Udall (D-NM) and David Vitter (R-LA) and was approved by the … Continue Reading
Contrary to the general opinion, companies established in Belgium have much more extensive obligations than mere compliance with REACH – the European legislation on registration of chemical substances. Indeed, in Belgium a national register for nanomaterials will enter into force on 1st January 2016. This is of significant importance as companies will be required to … Continue Reading
On September 10, 2015, in Pollinator Stewardship Council et al. v. EPA, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals invalidated US EPA’s unconditional registration of the insecticide sulfoxaflor, concluding that the scientific data relied upon by the agency regarding the product’s potential impact on honey bees did not support approval of the insecticide. Sulfoxaflor, which is … Continue Reading
