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
On July 30, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a request for public comment on the potential regulation of perchloroethylene (PCE) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). PCE is a widely used...more
TSCA/FIFRA/TRI - EPA Appoints Former ASA Government Affairs Director As OCSPP DAA For Pesticides: Mr. Kyle Kunkler has been appointed the Deputy Assistant Administrator (DAA) for Pesticides at the U.S. Environmental...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
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on June 22, 2025, signed Senate Bill 25 (SB 25), a law that, among other provisions, requires the following consumer warning labeling on foods containing any of 44 ingredients: "WARNING: This product...more
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is overhauling its approach to post-market oversight of food chemicals, marked by the proposed rollout of a new Post-Market Assessment Prioritization Tool. The FDA first announced...more
As reported in our May 13, 2025, blog item, on March 24, 2025, PPG Industries, Inc. (PPG) submitted a petition seeking an amendment to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) December 2024 final risk management rule...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
On May 27, 2025, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under Section 21 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to reconsider the final risk management rule for...more
On May 15, 2025, the Center for Environmental Accountability (CEA) filed a petition under Section 21 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) requesting that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reconsider the...more
As reported in our May 4, 2025, blog item, on May 2, 2025, a coalition of chemical companies petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for an amendment of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section...more
The US Food and Drug Administration recently announced a major initiative to strengthen oversight of food additives and other food-related chemicals. The agency described this as a “stronger, more systematic review process”...more
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced plans to update its post-market food chemical review program. In its announcement, FDA explained that its forthcoming plans will take a proactive approach to...more
On May 2, 2025, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the “[n]ext phase of organizational improvements to better integrate science into agency offices.” As part of this reorganization...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
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
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
On January 6, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the extension of the review period for confidential business information (CBI) claims for specific identities of all active chemical substances...more
In our earlier post, Public and Regulatory Attention to Forever Chemicals is at an All-Time High, we discussed the expected and upcoming regulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”). Another chemical expected to...more
Antitrust activity increased significantly in 2021. This past year brought numerous changes in merger and non-merger enforcement policies and priorities that signal increased scrutiny in industry transactions. The “Biden...more
There has been no shortage of recent regulatory developments concerning per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in California, which are especially relevant to drinking water systems and the consumer product community. ...more
The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (“NHDES”) initiated a rulemaking to establish Maximum Contaminate Levels (“MCLs”) and ambient groundwater quality standards (“AGQS”) for four per-and polyfluoroalkyl...more
The Environmental Council of the States (“ECOS”) submitted December 11th comments to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) on: Chemical Data Reporting: Requirements for Inorganic Byproduct Chemical...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: In a challenge brought by trade associations for the farm supply and fertilizer industries, the D.C. Circuit vacates OSHA memorandum narrowing the retail exemption from the PSM standard. The U.S....more
The California Office of the Attorney General is seeking to limit certain payment provisions common in Prop. 65 plaintiffs’ settlements with defendants. The proposed rulemaking, published September 25, 2015, would limit the...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