Microplastics are, in recent years, at the forefront of regulatory and policy driven conversations across the United States. Regulatory measures to address microplastics at both state and federal levels have been introduced...more
On August 25, 2025, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) held a pre-rulemaking stakeholder meeting on its implementation of New York’s per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in apparel...more
The European Commission (EC) has published a report summarizing comments received during the public consultation for the initiative “Towards a circular, regenerative and competitive bioeconomy.” As reported in our April 1,...more
On August 13, 2025, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) announced that it petitioned the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission to remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from the food...more
On July 23, 2025, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) announced the release of the Plan of Priorities, a multi-year plan that outlines upcoming priorities for the assessment of chemical substances. The Plan includes...more
On August 15, 2025, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (D) signed a bill (HB 2516) amending the PFAS Reduction Act to ban certain consumer products containing intentionally added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). As of...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on August 21, 2025, the availability of and solicited public comment on materials that are being submitted to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act...more
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) announced on August 14, 2025, a WatchBlog item entitled “EPA’s New Chemicals Program Could Improve Safety If Better Managed” that examines GAO’s January 2025 report on the U.S....more
On August 11, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota granted the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s (MPCA) motion to dismiss the Cookware Sustainability Alliance’s (CSA) suit for failure to state a...more
On July 1, 2025, the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) announced a new position paper and five-point action plan that will “help deliver a [European Union (EU)] Bioeconomy Strategy that supports the scale-up of...more
The European Commission (EC) began a public consultation on July 8, 2025, on a draft act that will establish rules for calculating, verifying, and reporting on recycled plastic content in single-use plastic beverage bottles....more
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (MDEP) began a public consultation on July 30, 2025, on a proposed amendment to Chapter 90: Products Containing Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). The...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on July 28, 2025, the release of a memorandum with additional context on occupational exposure data for di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). According to EPA, the...more
The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has published a July 2025 report entitled Update on Critical Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Uses. House Report 118-121, which accompanied the 2024 DOD appropriations bill (H.R. 4365),...more
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) announced on July 23, 2025, that it will extend the January 1, 2026, deadline for reporting products containing intentionally added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to...more
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced on July 9, 2025, that it is updating its practices for reviewing petitions seeking a determination of nonregulated...more
As reported in our May 14, 2025, blog item, on May 12, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) denied a petition filed under Section 21 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) seeking to prohibit the use of...more
As reported in our April 11, 2025, blog item, applications for currently unavoidable use determinations for products containing intentionally added perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and scheduled to be...more
On June 30, 2025, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published a report entitled 2D Titanium Carbide MXenes: Case Study Report on Advanced Materials. Within OECD’s Working Party on Manufactured...more
7/11/2025
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Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Violations ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Health and Safety ,
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Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Assessment ,
Sustainability ,
Toxic Chemicals
On June 11, 2025, the Nanotechnology Industries Association (NIA) published a position paper entitled Bridging the Governance Gap: Divergent EU Approaches to Nano and Advanced Materials that highlights industry challenges...more
On June 2, 2025, the United Kingdom (UK) Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) requested comment on a draft indicative list for long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids (LC-PFCA), their salts, and related...more
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) remain a top concern for regulators and the public alike. While federal regulators continue to lay the groundwork for a comprehensive response, including through the PFAS Strategic...more
The European Commission (EC) requested that the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) assess the risks posed by certain hexavalent chromium substances. ECHA announced on April 29, 2025, that it has concluded that a European Union...more
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (MDEP) updated its web page on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in products on May 2, 2025. The updated page includes links to the April 2025 final rule on products...more
As reported in our April 1, 2025, blog item, the Maine Board of Environmental Protection (MBEP) was scheduled to consider the Maine Department of Environmental Protection’s (MDEP) December 2024 proposed rule regarding...more