From: Scientific American
Watch for These 7 U.S. Science Regulations/Deregulations in 2018
These changes could have serious consequences for health, food and safety
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December 20, 2017
December 19, 2017
Lack of USDA Organic Labeling for Aquaculture Harming US Competitiveness?
From: SeafoodSource
Organic standards for US farmed seafood going nowhere despite market demand
“We remain on hold one year later, in spite of numerous requests to move forward into final rulemaking with the publication of the proposed final rule,” George Lockwood, who chaired the Aquaculture Working Group, told SeafoodSource. “With the change in government, USDA has put this matter on hold. We have asked on several occasions that it be moved onto their active regulatory review agenda, but that has not happened.”
December 12, 2017
FDA Network Takes a New Approach to Produce Safety
From: FDA Food Safety Magazine
Source: FDA
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The challenges of successful implementation include regional differences in growing conditions and practices across the country, and that the produce industry has never before had this kind of FDA oversight.
The PSN does two things:
- It establishes regionally based policy and regulatory experts throughout the country, making them uniquely suited to address the issues specific to the states they’re supporting.
- It also places these experts, from two very different FDA offices, within one team. The network combines the regulatory expertise from the FDA’s Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) with the policy and science expertise from the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN).
December 7, 2017
The DHS Form that Wouldn’t Die
From: Center for Immigration Studies
By David North
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All of this shows the power of tradition in the U.S. government. The Paperwork Reduction Act requires periodic reviews of government forms, which is commendable. But this form itself should have been eliminated, so no further reviews would be needed.
What is the form in question? It is the ancient N-300, and it relates to a century or so ago, when aliens often filed a form indicating that they were intending to become citizens, (i.e., first papers) before they got around to actually applying for citizenship (second papers).
November 22, 2017
Trump administration starts push to officially rescind ‘startup visa’ rule
Editor’s Note: See, Should the EB-5 Investor Visa Program Recognize Cyber Workers?
From: San Francisco Chronicle
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The rule, which is the closest Silicon Valley has come to a visa for entrepreneurs, was approved by the Department of Homeland Security during President Barack Obama’s last few hours in office. But a week before it was set to go into effect in July, the Trump administration delayed it with the intent to rescind it altogether.
November 13, 2017
Administration Acts On Executive Order: Proposed Short-Term Plan Rule Hits OMB
From: Inside Health Policy
The first regulatory action stemming from President Donald Trump’s Oct. 12 executive order asking agencies to reverse Obama-era rules on short-terms plans and promote associated health plans is under review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). OMB received the proposed rule on “Short Term Limited Duration Insurance” on Monday (Nov. 6). One source was somewhat surprised to see a proposed, rather than “interim final” rule. . . .
Read Complete Article [paywall]
November 8, 2017
Supplement Industry Has ‘Rare Opportunity’ to Seek Regulatory Reform
Editor’s Note: FDA guidance documents, including new dietary ingredient (NDI) guidance, are subject to the “seek and obtain correction” provisions of the Data Quality Act.
From: Natural Products Insider
by Josh Long
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NDI Guidance
It’s possible OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) could review FDA’s draft new dietary ingredient (NDI) guidance, or a proposed final version. As the U.S. Government Accountability Office noted in an April 2015 report, OIRA “reviews some significant guidance documents” before they are issued.
November 7, 2017
Trump’s agriculture department reverses course on biotech rules
From: Science Magazine
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USDA’s announcement and its notice in the federal register today provided little detail about the motivation for the reversal. The agency is taking another look at the rules to balance “regulatory requirements [that] foster public confidence” with a “review process that doesn’t restrict innovation,” Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Purdue said in a statement. USDA will now start fresh discussions with stakeholders to consider other approaches, the statement said.
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November 3, 2017
BLM Takes Step To Undo Gas Venting And Flaring Rule
From: Law360
The Bureau of Land Management on Wednesday sent to the White House for review a proposal to rescind or revise an Obama-era regulation aimed at limiting venting and flaring from gas wells on federal lands, which is the final step before it is made public.
The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, which is part of the executive branch, posted a brief notice that said it received the BLM’s proposal. . . .
Read Complete Article (paywall)
November 2, 2017
New Dietary Ingredient Guidance: The Waiting Game
Editor’s Note: FDA guidance documents are subject to the Data Quality Act’s requirements and correction procedures.
From: Regulatory Affairs Professional Society
By Jennifer M. Adams, JD, Ashish R. Talati, JD, MS, RAC
This article discusses FDA’s publication of its revised draft of Dietary Supplements: New Dietary Ingredient Notifications and Related Issues: Guidance for Industry (2016 Draft Guidance) and the implications regarding the lack of finalization in the year following its publication. The authors make suggestions regarding what companies may begin doing prior to and in anticipation of eventual finalization.