Federal Court Blocks California’s “Truth in Recycling” Law on First Amendment Grounds
A federal court has preliminarily blocked California’s “Truth in Recycling” law, ruling that its restrictions on recyclability claims are likely unconstitutional under the First Amendment and finding that several of its key provisions are impermissibly vague under the Fourteenth Amendment. In a July 14, 2026, order, the Southern District of California concluded that although the […]
Microplastics Regulation: EPA Declines to Act, California Moves Forward
EPA and California took opposite approaches to microplastics regulation within weeks of each other. On July 1, 2026, EPA proposed to omit microplastics from the Sixth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 6). Two weeks earlier on June 18, California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) finalized a regulation adding microplastics to the state’s Safer Consumer […]
California Barred from Enforcing Prop 65 DEA Warning After First Amendment Challenge
On June 24, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California entered a final judgment and permanent injunction barring the Attorney General from enforcing Proposition 65’s cancer-warning requirement for diethanolamine (DEA) in cosmetics. The judgment adopts a stipulation that the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) and Attorney General Rob Bonta filed the day […]
California Finalizes Packaging EPR Regulations Under SB 54
California has finalized regulations implementing the state’s extended producer responsibility (EPR) program for packaging, more than a year after the governor directed CalRecycle to restart the rulemaking process over cost concerns. The final rule, approved May 1, 2026, implements California’s Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act (SB 54), passed in 2022. Despite the […]
OEHHA Moves to List Four New Carcinogens Under Prop 65
On May 8, 2026, the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) announced its intent to list four substances as known to the state to cause cancer under Proposition 65: Welding fumes Hydrochlorothiazide Voriconazole Tacrolimus All four listings are being proposed pursuant the labor code mechanism. They follow International Agency for […]
California Bill Would Strip ‘Compostable’ Label from Plastic Products
California lawmakers are weighing legislation targeting plastics in organic waste streams, characterizing plastic as a contaminant in the composting process. Beginning January 1, 2027, Assembly Bill 1812 would prohibit the sale of products labeled with the terms “compostable” or “home compostable” that are made wholly or partially of plastic. It would also update the requirements […]
California Bill Would Phase Out PFAS Pesticides, Require Label Disclosures
California is considering legislation to phase out use, require labeling, and prohibit registrations of pesticides containing PFAS, defined as a class of fluorinated organic chemicals containing at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom. AB 1603 states that PFAS exposure “poses a significant threat to the environment and public health” and that their intentional use in […]
Latest Prop 65 Challenge Targets DEA After Series of Industry Wins
A cosmetics industry trade group is asking the Eastern District of California to enjoin a Proposition 65 warning for diethanolamine (DEA), arguing that the label disclosure violates the First Amendment. The suit was filed March 2, 2026, by the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC). It follows a string of court victories challenging other Prop 65 warning […]
Prop 65 Updates: New MFH Listing and BPS Developmental Toxicity Endpoint Added
On December 5, 2025, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) announced the addition of N-methyl-N-formylhydrazine (MFH) to the Prop 65 list as a carcinogen. On the same day, OEHHA also announced that it is adding the developmental toxicity endpoint to the listing for bisphenol S (BPS). Both listings took effect December 8, 2025. […]
DTSC Releases Microplastics Background Document Ahead of December Workshop
This month, California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) released a public background document summarizing its research on products that contain or generate microplastics. DTSC is requesting comment on the specific product categories evaluated in the document through January 16, 2026. The department will also hold a virtual workshop to receive public input on December […]