Environmental brief ~ European Commission approves changes to draft chemicals bill Tom Henry at 3:52 PM ET
[JURIST] Leading Wednesday's environmental law news, the European Commission [official website] has agreed to amend the draft version of the Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals Act (REACH) [EU backgrounder] to limit some of the chemicals that would have to be tested when produced in, or imported to, the EU in small quantities. REACH is scheduled for a vote in the European Parliament [official website] on Thursday. Reuters has more.
In other environmental law news...
Maine's Attorney General [official website] is investigating negotiations between the Maine Department of Environmental Protection [official website] and private paper companies regarding water quality standards. The negotiations took place in private, and may have violated Maine's Freedom of Access Act [text] which requires that regulatory standards be subject to public review and that records be available to the public. The Portland Press Herald has more.
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