Regulatory Review: January 2025
Trudy Watson-Leung, Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
This digest provides an overview of some of the latest regulatory news announcements of interest to the SETAC community. Please send your suggestions to [email protected].
Australia’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW)
The DCCEEW released their First Nations Clean Energy Strategy, developed with First Nation’s peoples across the country.
People’s Republic of China: National People’s Congress (NPC)
The NPC is seeking public feedback on a draft “Law on the Safety of Hazardous Chemicals”, due 23 January. The draft law applies to the safety management of the production, storage, use, business and transportation of hazardous chemicals.
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and Health Canada (HC)
Coal tars and their distillates were added to Part 2 of Schedule 1 (the List of Toxic Substances) of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. Toxic substances added to Part 2 require the ministers to prioritize pollution prevention actions, which may include total, partial or conditional prohibition, when managing their risks.
European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)
ECHA opened a call for expert feedback on their proposal for implementing the reporting requirements regarding estimated emissions of synthetic polymer microparticles, due 20 January.
ECHA released the results of an investigation that found that use of non-polymeric aromatic brominated flame-retardant additives pollutes the environment due to their persistence, bioaccumulation and toxicity.
European Commission (EC)
New European Union rules on urban wastewater management came into force 1 January 2025. The revised directive will strengthen treatment rules, ensuring a higher level of protection for the public and the environment.
The EC adopted a ban on the use of Bisphenol A (BPA) in food contact materials.
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
EFSA is looking for feedback on their draft scientific opinion on the public health risks associated with perchlorate in food, due on 11 February, and on their draft assessment of the potential risks from ingestion of fluoride in food and drinking water, due on 9 February.
Peer reviews of the pesticide risk assessment of the active substance fenoxaprop-P-ethyl and of the of the active substance fludioxonil were published. Fenoxaprop-P-ethyl was identified as an endocrine disruptor affecting the androgen pathway and fludioxonil as an endocrine disruptor affecting estrogen, androgen, and steroidogenesis (EAS) pathways.
International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
The IISD released a publication on financing sustainable development, climate and nature. The document outlines four key proposals to align financing frameworks, enhance sovereign debt relief, provide practical guidance for domestic resource mobilization, and foster greater coordination across finance communities to support sustainable development.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
OECD Net Zero+ released a policy paper “Climate change adaptation: Policies for a resilient future,” identifying that data and methodological limitations are key challenges for assessing exposure and vulnerabilities.
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and World Health Organisation (WHO)
UNEP released a policy brief “Nature-based Solutions for Peace: Emerging Practice and Options for Policymakers” compiling over 40 case studies examining how nature-based approaches in fragile and conflict-affected settings help reduce conflict and build stable, resilient societies.
United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)
The USEPA announced final rules to ban all uses of trichloroethylene (TCE) and all consumer uses and many commercial uses of perchloroethylene (PCE).
The USEPA issued the first underground injection permits for carbon sequestration in California. Carbon capture and underground storage or geologic sequestration in the Elk Hills Oil Field can be used to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere and mitigate climate change.
The USEPA has derived draft national recommended water quality criteria protective of human health for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS). The USEPA is accepting written comments from the public on the draft human health criteria through 24 February.
Contact: [email protected]