On August 27, 2025, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) held a virtual public meeting to preview its 2026–2027 agenda. Acting Commissioner Peter Feldman and Executive Director Brian Lorenze outlined a significant pivot in the agency’s approach to product hazard detection and prevention—centered on artificial intelligence and predictive analytics.Continue Reading CPSC Signals Shift to AI-Driven Product Safety Oversight
On Tuesday, March 30th Crowell & Moring’s Cheryl Falvey and Matthew Cohen will lead a webinar titled, “The Consumer Product Safety Commission – An Agency in Transition.”
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”) is in a state of transition. The Democrats will soon have a majority of commissioners. Acting Chairman Bob Adler has announced
On March 30, 2017, Crowell & Moring’s Advertising & Product Risk Management Group hosted a webinar in which we discussed likely changes on the horizon at the Food & Drug Administration, Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. We also discussed the relationship between these agencies and the Department of Justice,
More than two months after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the automotive industry continues to face substantial uncertainty regarding the direction and priorities of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) over the next few years. For now, we can only guess. The new Transportation Secretary, Elaine Chao, was confirmed January 31. She takes over a NHTSA that had been working hard to keep up with emerging technologies – while acting increasingly muscular in its fines and other punishments under the prior administration.
For some safety agencies, it is much easier to read the tea leaves under the new administration. For example, at the Consumer Product Safety Commission, for example, we know that there is a new Republican Acting Chair (Ann Marie Buerkle), and that the five commissioners will remain 3-2 in favor of Democrats until at least October 2017 when Democratic Commissioner Marietta Robinson’s term on the Commission expires. See prior article here. And, following Acting Chair Buerkle’s public remarks last month at the annual conference of the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization (ICPHSO), we know that her top three priorities include: (1) collaborating with all product safety stakeholders; (2) taking a balanced and reasonable approach to regulation; and (3) expanding product safety education and awareness for consumers. See prior article here.
Thursday, March 30, 2017 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. EasternAggressive enforcement, massive recalls and proactive safety agendas left an indelible impression on the product safety world under the Obama administration. Product safety is no longer a bipartisan affair. But what will the Trump administration mean for your regulatory compliance programs? What changes will we see
Historically, as administrations change at the safety agencies, new priorities and shifting judgments on risk-based hazard assessment drive regulatory burdens up or down. The effect of President Trump’s executive order requiring the repeal of two rules for every one promulgated is yet to be seen when it comes to rulemaking at consumer facing safety agencies such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Food and Drug Administration, and Consumer Product Safety Commission.
The CPSC, as an independent agency, could take the position that the E.O. simply does not apply to them. The White House agrees. But the reality is that very few $100 million rules have been issued by the CPSC over the entire life of the agency. That is because its enabling statute favors voluntary industry standards over mandatory rules. Indeed, many of the CPSC rules affecting product performance have been mandated by Congress and could not be repealed by the agency absent an act of Congress. Still others may require some APA process before they can be legally repealed or changed.
This past Wednesday, in her first public remarks as Acting Chair of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Ann Marie Buerkle announced her top three priorities. As our readers know from our previous post, on February 9, then Commissioner Buerkle became Acting Chair of the CPSC after Commissioner Elliot Kaye stepped down as Chairman. Speaking to the annual conference of the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization (ICPHSO), Acting Chair Buerkle announced that her top three priorities include: (1) collaborating with all product safety stakeholders; (2) taking a balanced and reasonable approach to regulation; and (3) expanding product safety education and awareness for consumers.
The overarching theme of Chairman Buerkle’s remarks could not have been more clear: the core mission of product safety does not change with respect to who is in the White House—the focus needs to remain on safety, data, and science, and, to further that mission, all product safety stakeholders should remove their stereotypes of different groups within the community and work collaboratively and creatively to further a common goal.
To that end, Chairman Buerkle stated that she will continue to approach product safety as she has done since taking her seat on the Commission in 2013 in order to further the agency’s mission—she will strive for good governance, build relationships across the safety community, take advantage of available data and science, and rely upon the expertise available inside and outside of the Commission.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has a new Acting Chairwoman: Commissioner (and former Congresswoman) Ann Marie Buerkle. Although no formal announcement has been made, those within the agency have acknowledged that current Chairman Elliot Kaye relinquished the chairmanship yesterday. Commissioner Buerkle, one of the two Republican members of the Commission and Vice-Chair
The responsibilities of retailers for safety and health issues that arise in the supply chain became a recurring topic of discussion at the 20th annual International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization (ICPHSO) meeting and training symposium held on February 26-March 1, 2013, just outside Washington, D.C. Representatives from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC or Commission), consumer product retailers, and others spoke about retailers’ past and future involvement with the Commission’s efforts to protect consumers from unsafe products.
In recent years, retailers have become involved in an increasing number of recalls of products for which they are not the manufacturer. The Commission typically prefers to work with manufacturers – as compared to retailers or others in the supply chain – to implement recalls for several reasons: (1) manufacturers usually have a superior knowledge about the product and supply chain; (2) they are usually in the best position to offer an appropriate remedy or fix; and (3) it is more efficient to deal with one manufacturer as opposed to multiple retailers. Retailers, however, have become useful allies of the Commission, and the CPSC does not hesitate to approach retailers when necessary. CPSC Commissioner Robert Adler explained that the Commission usually contacts retailers about recalls when a manufacturer has gone out of business or has chosen not to cooperate with the CPSC. Staff spoke about retailers’ unique ability to apply pressure to noncompliant manufacturers as well as to get word out to consumers about unsafe products. CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum thanked retailers for their continued cooperation in conducting voluntary recalls during her keynote address at the annual meeting. Continue Reading Focus On Retailers At ICPHSO 2013