California Adds New Priority Consumer Product for Green Chemistry Regulation
- California’s innovative Safer Consumer Products regulations, also known as the Green Chemistry Initiative, are ready for another step forward with the proposed inclusion of Spray Polyurethane Foam (SPF) Systems containing Unreacted Methylene Diphenyl Diisocyanates (MDI) as a Priority Product. These SPF systems are used... ›
California’s New Spray Adhesive and Aerosol Coatings Requirements – Will You Be Ready on January 1?
A trap for unwary manufacturers and retailers is the California Air Resources Board (CARB) regulations for consumer and other products sold in the state. These rules limit the concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other greenhouse gas–producing chemicals. CARB enforces these regulations with... ›The Ninth Circuit Kills GMO Pesticide Regulations in Hawaii Counties
On November 18, 2016, the Ninth Circuit issued five rulings rejecting three Hawaii counties’ attempts to regulate pesticides and genetically modified crops, finding that the regulations were preempted by state and federal laws. Alika Atay et al. v. County of Maui et. al. In... ›WARNING: California Adopts New Proposition 65 “How to Warn” Rules
By: William F. Tarantino
Last Friday, the state published the first major changes to the Proposition 65 regulations in more than a decade. The sweeping changes rewrite the “safe harbor” warning regulations and, in doing so, create a new set of challenges for businesses offering products or operating... ›Nationwide GE Labeling Leaps Forward
Four years after California’s genetically engineered (GE) food labeling initiative was defeated, but just days before Vermont’s GE law is to go into effect, the U.S. Senate is poised to impose such labeling nationwide. The proposed legislation is the result of a compromise of... ›Federal Toxics Law Grows Up: Congress Strengthens the Toxic Substances Control Act
President Obama has signed the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, which amends the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for the first time since it was enacted in 1976. The compromise bill passed by Congress is a major accomplishment at... ›Red Light for Green Claims: FTC Sends Warning Letters to Green Certifiers
By: Claudia M. Vetesi
This week, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it has sent warning letters to five marketers of environmental certifications and seals, as well as over 30 product companies displaying those certifications, citing concerns that the certifications failed to comply with the agency’s... ›Consumer Products “Either/Or”: California Issues Guidance on Alternatives Analysis for Safer Products
By: William F. Tarantino
California’s Green Chemistry Initiative has taken another step forward with the issuance of guidance on the heart of the law, the analysis of safer substitutes for chemicals in consumer products. On September 24, 2015, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) released its... ›California Greenhouse Gas Mandates Keep Coming— Governor Orders 40 Percent Reductions Below 1990 Levels by 2030
On April 29, 2015, California’s Governor Jerry Brown issued an executive order to set a new interim target for reducing the state’s emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. In March 2015, we wrote about the current state... ›California’s Green Chemistry Agency Issues New Guidance to Identify Future Consumer Products for Regulation
By: William F. Tarantino
California’s Green Chemistry Initiative continues to build momentum. On April 16, 2015, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) released its final April 2015 Priority Product Work Plan for 2015–2017 (“Work Plan”). The Work Plan is the first step in identifying the next... ›