American Bar Association Energy and Resources Committees

Pesticides, Chemical Regulation, and Right-to-Know Committee

2010-2011 Committee Chair:

Charles L. Franklin, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, Washington, DC

Podcast Available!

The Podcast for the following Quick Teleconference program is now available:

Meet the Administration: A Visit with Assistant Administrator Steve Owens, J.D., Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution, U.S. EPA

Click here to Purchase the Podcast

2010-2011 Committee Action Plan

Each Committee is to identify the substantive and practice issues within its purview that it wishes to develop for the Section's members and then prepare a plan for addressing those issues.

Download the Pesticides, Chemical Regulation, and Right-to-Know Committee Action Plan

Message from the Chair

Welcome to the home page for the Committee on Pesticide, Chemical Regulation, and Right to Know. The PCRRTK Committee’s goal is to provide opportunities for professional discourse, substantive information exchange, and legal scholarship within the diverse bar of attorneys interested or involved in pesticide, chemical, and information disclosure law and policy. We strive to address these goals by encouraging broad participation in our programs, publications, and policy dialogues, and by developing programs and materials of value to private, non-profit, and government practitioners. I encourage you to explore some of our existing resources, including:

Our Practioner’s E-Reference Guides provide great online research and reference links for issues like TSCA Reform, The EU’s Chemical Control Program Under REACH, Regulation of PCBs, and Green Marketing.
Our Pesticides, Chemical Regulation, and Right-To-Know Newsletter provides insightful analysis on recent issues and trends in the PCRRTK space.
Our regularly-scheduled Quick Teleconferences, Brownbags, and other Programs provide opportunities to network with colleagues, meet government leaders, and learn about critical issues.

Of course, the Committee offers you more than just access to such resources - we encourage you to help us develop and expand our portfolio of resources. Here are some ways to get involved.

Develop a new Practitioner’s E-Reference. We are looking for volunteers to help develop E-References on “Pesticide Regulation under FIFRA,” “Federalism and Chemical Control Policy,” and a “FIFRA Litigation Roundup,” and other relevant topics. Contact Ambreen Tariq for details.
Submit a Newsletter Article. We are always looking for scholarship and insight on relevant legal and policy developments. (Note: the deadline for the next issue is November 30, 2010. Contact Lynn Bergeson for details.
Propose or Help Plan a Quick –Teleconference(QT)/Brownbag Program. Given the constant legislative, regulatory, and judicial activity in the PCRRTK arena, our QT/Brownbag Agenda is limited only by our ability to get dedicated practitioners to help with planning. We welcome your ideas (and leadership) on program issues of interest to you and your constituents. Contact David Markert or Lawrence Culleen.

It is an exciting time to be part of the PCRRTK community. We welcome your participation in the year to come.

2010-2011 Sponsored Events

Past Programs:

39th Annual Conference on Environmental Law
March 18-21, 2010 | Salt Lake City, UT
38th National Spring Conference on the Environment - Chemicals Regulation: REACHing for TSCA Reform [PDF]
June 11, 2010 | Baltimore, Maryland
Meet the Administration: A Luncheon Visit with Associate General Counsel Leslye M. Fraser S.M., J.D., Office of General Counsel, Pesticides and Toxic Substances Law Office, U.S. EPA
June 18, 2010 | Quick Teleconference
Meet the Administration: A Visit with Assistant Administrator Steve Owens, J.D., Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution, U.S. EPA
September 16, 2010 | Quick Teleconference
Tox21 and Chemical Regulation: The Effect of the NIEHS National Toxicology Program Partnership with EPA and the FDA on Chemicals in the Marketplace
October 21, 2010 | Quick Teleconference
California Dreaming or Reality?
California's New Paradigm in Chemicals and Products Management Could be Coming to a Store Near You
Quick Teleconference | Monday, November 15, 2010
Selling Green: A Concise Overview of the FTC’s Proposed Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims
Quick Teleconference | Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Event Archives

Section Nanotechnology Project

Between 2005 and 2008, the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources (SEER),with considerable help from PCRRTK members and leadership, conducted a comprehensive review of the core federal environmental statutes to assess the suitability of each to address issues pertinent to human health and the environment arising from applications of nanotechnology. As part of this review, the Section prepared detailed briefing documents on each of the six core environmental statutes, and a briefing document on innovative governance mechanisms, that identify key legal and regulatory issues EPA can be expected to encounter as it considers how best to address issues likely to arise in connection with nanotechnology.

To learn more about this effort, including the Section’s findings and recommendation with respect to regulation applications of nanotechnology under TSCA and FIFRA, visit the Section Nanotechnology Project Home Page.