By Lynn L. Bergeson

On November 20, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) announced a public meeting to engage with stakeholders interested on the implementation of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) New Chemicals Program. The meeting will be held on December 10, 2019, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (EST), and will include:

• An overview of EPA’s updated “Working Approach” document that builds on EPA’s “New Chemicals Decision Making Framework: Working Approach to Making Determinations under Section 5 of TSCA”;
   
• A demonstration of how EPA uses key concepts in the Working Approach to reach certain conclusions and/or make determinations under TSCA Section 5(a)(3) using case examples;
   
• An update on confidential business information (CBI) process improvements and clarifications; and
   
• A discussion of EPA’s ongoing efforts and progress to increase transparency.

During the meeting, EPA will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to provide input on the topics mentioned above. Feedback can also be submitted via the docket on or prior to January 24, 2020.

By the end of 2019, EPA expects to make the “Working Approach” document available for written public comments