Monthly Archives: February 2017

The California Senate has introduced SB 258, the Cleaning Product Right To Know Act of 2017, which would require manufacturers to list all ingredients on cleaning products sold within the state. This follows last year's failure of a similar bill, AB 708. The requirements of SB 258 would apply to any product manufactured or sold within the state after January 1st, 2018. SB 258, which was introduced by Senator Ricardo Lara, is currently under review by the rules committee. Requirements under SB259 The Cleaning Product Right to Know Act of 2017 establishes several requirements, which are summarized below. Each physical product…

On February 21, 2017, EPA announced that implementation of its January 19, 2017 interpretation of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) requirements for confidential business information (CBI) substantiation was delayed pursuant to White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus's memorandum freezing all new and pending regulations. EPA's announcement also stated that "EPA may consider delaying the effective date of this action beyond March 21, 2017." Although EPA's implementation is delayed by only one day, to March 21, 2017 from the original implementation date of March 20, 2017, EPA's acknowledgement that the interpretation is subject to the memorandum at all, and…

Beginning July 1, 2017, the State of Washington shall prohibit the sale and distribution of children’s products and residential upholstered furniture containing more than 1000 parts per million (ppm) of any of the following flame retardants in any product component: • Tris(1,3-dichloroisopropyl) phosphate (TDCPP) (CAS Registration Number 13674-87-8); • Tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) (CAS Registration Number 115-96-8); • Decabromodiphenyl ether (CAS Registration Number 1163-19-5); • Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) (CAS Registration Number 25637-99-4); and • The additive tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) (CAS Registration Number 79-94-7). The restriction is part of the Children’s Safe Products Act (CSPA), Revised Code of Washington (RCW) Chapter 70.240, first…

U.S. retailer Target has announced that it will begin phasing out certain chemicals of concern from products sold at its stores. Additionally, suppliers will be required to provide a full list of ingredients for products of certain categories. The company’s new plans are a part of its new chemical policy that involves “identifying, reducing, and eliminating substances in our products, supply chain and operations when they demonstrate a potential risk to our guests or team members.” Target’s announcement, which outlines steps to be taken for chemical management, transparency, and innovation, also includes investment of up to $5 million in “green…

On January 30th, 2017, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order on Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs, mandating that for every regulation issued by a federal department, two regulations be identified for repeal. The order additionally states that for the 2017 fiscal year, the total cost of any new regulation should be no greater than zero after being offset by the elimination of existing costs of at least two prior regulations, unless otherwise authorized by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Beginning in fiscal year 2018, the executive order requires the Director to identify the total…